“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”
Job 1:21 KJV
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s Jack flying as fast as he can after a wayward gummy bear!
I shuffle my socks quickly across the kitchen floor with my last bit of energy and pull it from his grasp. Nine month olds and un-chewable, dust bunny ridden gummy bears don’t mix. But he doesn’t understand this.
I pull the green bear from his chubby fingers. My heart returns to normal pace. Tiny tears fall. Jack looks up at me with reddened sea blue eyes and sadly babbles “Mine.”
My heart breaks for him. I know he wanted that gummy bear. I know he’s thinking I’m the Wicked Witch of the West for taking it away. But no matter how hard it is to say “No” to this face . . .
I have to make him let go. I do it because I love him.
I ponder on the things I’ve taken away from Jack just in this week alone . . .
A Littlest Pet Shop tiger . . .
Dad’s fallen screwdriver.
A broken Panama City seashell.
Old pieces of Subway roast beef that toppled from the trash. (Jack has a three day rule for foods found in the floor. 🙂
In witnessing his sturdy grip on these things that are better left let go . . . I realize that Jack hasn’t fallen far from the tree. I think of things that I too work so hard to reach. Things I feel obligated to. Things I really like, things that make me feel safe, comfortable and successful. I watch as God pulls them from my hands. I sit in tears and cry “MINE!”
He doesn’t understand does He? I need this! I want this! It belongs to me!
But God gently wrestles with me . . . “Let go.”
Though we’ve been here before . . . I seem to forget with each new circumstance that God knows what He’s doing. That it all always works out. That He closes windows to open doors no man can shut.
I can’t always see what things are good for me even when they feel good inside my hands and even better inside my life. He knows when I’ve picked up a good Cheerio . . . and He also knows when I’ve picked up a Fruit Loop that the Chihuahua pulled from the neighbor’s trash bin. He sees the dangers of sharp emotions and situations that could cut me deep.
I reach for the thing I want . . .
But it’s no good.
God slides across the kitchen, socks sliding quickly against the freshly swept floor. He lifts me swiftly. The no good thing falling to the wayside. I protest . . . But He does it because He loves me.
I sit in my husband’s comfy Lazy Boy and shut my eyes for just a brief moment. I reopen them to Jack our adorable bottomless pit who has shoved yet another mystery crumb into his tiny mouth. I gently wrestle with him “Let go.” Just then, I spot my favorite cross hanging by the lampshade. I survey my heart for things that I know I too must give up. My heart aches . . .but the spirit speaks. My grasp loosens in anticipation for God’s something better lined up in the cupboard.
I lift Jack. God lifts me.
God beckons softly “Let go.”
What has God asked you to give up? What is the “something better” that came along?
Brooke Keith
Have a steamy cup of chocolate coffee with Brookie and the girls at http://internetcafedevotions.com/
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I have a huge thing in my life that I am struggling to let go of. God knows whats he’s doing, but I still have SO much trouble. I try and then relapse into the sad “mine” mindset, and its beating me up. Thank you for your post, this is the biggest issue in my life that is keeping me from living life to its fullest.
Brooke, this is EXACTLY what God has been speaking to me about this year! Learning to let go. Those were the two little words that are in my diary that I look at every day. Let go. Thank you for your encouragement today.
And your son is incredibly adorable. I would have the hardest time saying no to that sweet smile, you are a strong momma!
Oh my, I don’t really have the words to express how much I enjoyed reading this and it definitely resonated with me. God took away from me a church that was falling apart due to leaders who were anything but Godly. I screamed MINE!!! It was hard to let go because all my friends were from there, and because change is really dfficult for me and so getting used to a new church was immensely difficult. Right now, God is trying to pry control out of my fingers. I have been holding onto it for a long time, but ti is SOO hard to let go.
Brooke,
I hang on to certain emotions & parts of my past. God wants me to let go, but the devil keeps putting these things in my ears.
Your post is superb & very timely.
Love the hands reaching …..we should reach to our Father and learn to let go ~~ like you said! Those are just hard steps……..takes lots of pratice! I have been working on it for years :)) Thanks for your words from the heart!
I have a beautiful friend that recently lost her full term baby. She is a beautiful Spirit filled woman. Although her heart aches more than words can describe, she quoted from the moment He went to heaven, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes, Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Such a powerful testimony of God’s strength.
He asked me a long time ago to live with an “open palm” before Him, allowing Him to give or take whatever He thinks best. There are days He has to pry my hand open, but when I live with it open before Him, He fills me with Peace and constantly demonstrates His Faithful Provision.
You know how you feel like you’ve been smacked right between the eyes? I’ve been part of a ministry for five years, but this time around the feeling has just been wrong. And last night’s meeting had me in tears, up a good part of the night praying for guidance about whether to stay or go. I’ve seen the good this group can do, and I really enjoy the work, but lately it’s been about pride and the superiority of our religion. I don’t feel that our beliefs and practices are the only way to Jesus and God, and it hurts my heart to hear that message coming across. Do I need to accept God into my life. Yes. Do I need to say a certain prayer or I am not one of “God’s chosen”. My spirit says no. And then I open my reader to see this today . . . now my prayer changes that God help me find a graceful way to exit.
My youngest has the *exact* same pair of puppy pajamas. They’re the most adorable things ever!
Thank you for sharing your words here with us today, Brooke, they are a treasure!
Beautiful! It is so hard to let go of something we think we should have, deserve, or just want. Even harder to let go of something we think we’ve been called to do by the Lord. Great imagery! Thank you for the encouragement today!
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
It was truly a memorable day when I began to understand that things weren’t “mine” at all. Letting go is painful but oh, so freeing! Thank you for sharing these words of encouragement.
This brought tears to my eyes. I’m still stuggling to let go. And still waiting for the “something better.” Hoping that this year will be the one where it finally comes.
Such a wonderful reminder that Love knows best–that’s a truth our hearts can rest in, no matter what. Thank you, Brooke!
Hi Holley!
It’s been a long time since I guested for InCourage and Jack has grown up FAST. I was curious if you might have time to consider doing a book blurb? I have a Bible study coming out in 2014 and would love to have one from the girls at InCourage.
Thanks for thinking about it! 🙂 I’m also curious . . . do you ever have any spots open for full time bloggers?
Such a great post! I really enjoyed reading this…and really needed to read it right at this very moment. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks so much for posting! It really reminds me of a vision that my friend gave me, that I was sitting on the edge of a cliff but too afraid to let go and jump out… but the freedom that could be found in the knowledge of falling into Jesus arms would be so much more amazing than what I was clinging to. God has told me to let go these past few months, and it’s been difficult, but the real blessing is found in trusting him – he is the rock on which I stand. God bless you x
Such wonderful words so well put, and so true! I\’ve heard the story of how a 2 year old wants to keep everything in her hands. She wants to pick up something else but she has both hands full. We are so busy trying to hold on to what we have, we don\’t realize God is waiting to hand us something better than a fuzzy stale gummy bear. Bernice
Talk to God and then listen
Thx for the beautiful pictures and the honest reminder. This is beautifully written!
Learning to let go of…people pleasing…(wo)man’s approval…making it all such a big production…
http://www.stumblingaroundinthelight.com
I tell my little crawler, “not in your mouth!” – and he looks up at me with that sad, stricken face. He wants to devour every new discovery; yes, as do I. Thank you for the precious reminder that our Father also longs to pull us back away from those things that will ‘choke’ us!
I loved this – thanks for sharing. Totally spoke to where I (and my 11 month old son!) am right now!
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