Hold Everything Loosely

“Hold everything in your hands loosely, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” -Corrie Ten Boom

Thinking of tattooing this to my forehead.

It might be how the hummingbird felt trapped in son’s cage. That bird didn’t realize how much he loved his freedom until his options were taken away. He was angry and panicked. He batted his wings and clamped his beak in protest. He furiously spun in complete fear. DO NOT take something of value from me, he had to be thinking. Man, I feel ya, little birdie.

The Lord has had to pry my hands open far too often. Friends, it hurts. Even good things may not be God’s best for us. Even sweet joys of life are often used to keep us from relying on Jesus. And so, like a child with candy that we love, He pulls back one finger at a time as we tighten our grip. I will not let this go, I will not let this go, I will not let this go…. And then, exhausted from the tightened grip, I’ve seen His eyes of pure goodness and abundance looking into my eyes and the lightbulb goes off….

Maybe, just maybe, He loves me more than I even love myself.

Maybe, just maybe He sees my worth and my abilities in a realm that I can’t see.

Maybe, just maybe, He sees the pitfalls and the traps that might hurt me.

He continues to pry my hand open until I trust that what I am releasing to Him simply cannot compare with Him. He will always be worth more.

So many unknowns up ahead. We feel so much uncertainty that we cannot even make a secure plan. My children ask questions daily that simply cannot be answered. I’m getting pretty good at saying, “I don’t know.” You probably are as well, because we truly do not know. But, I’m resisting the urge to close my fists around anything. I’m forcing faith in all the areas that challenge my allegiance.

Let’s all exhale and open those hands fully. God just might require at any time for our fingers to unwrap from things we love. I don’t want Him to have to do that.

I want to open them first.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for He who has promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Father, you are sovereign over all. A hunger for control has no place in the life of one who trusts you fully! In Jesus name, Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Mysti Chustz has been following Jesus since she was six years old.
• She is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Her most favorite roles are being wife to Philip and mama to Coleman, Mary Lamar, and Clay.
• If one verse was used to describe her life, it would be Philippians 1:6. “Be confident of this, the One who starts the work in you is faithful to complete the work in you.”