Hold loosely

I was recently talking with a friend....a friend who stands on the brink of possibly losing what she cherishes most. As I was talking with her, the phrase "hold loosely" came to mind.

As a Christian, I am called to hold firm to so many things. But what I haven't realized, up until now, is that what I think I should hold firm to, and what God asks me to hold firm to, are sometimes very different. 

I want to hold firm to my hopes, dreams, and desires. I clench them tightly in my fists, even if they aren't really there, yelling "mine!" at the first threat of it being taken away. In my head I've progressed way past toddler stage...but clearly, my heart still sits there. 

Sometimes I think that if I just hold tightly enough to what I want, it can still come true...it can still be mine. But the reality is that it isn't mine. And even if it ever does get placed in my hands, it still won't be mine. I can pretend that it is, but God has declared that it is His. And who argues with Him?

And if I can truly hold loosely to the things in this earth, I can enjoy them so much better. When a toddler has clamped down on that one toy she can't live without, is she enjoying it? Probably not. She is so busy guarding it, that she can't really enjoy it. But if she could just hold it in her hands loosely, she would be able to admire it, play with it, and her life wouldn't be ruined when daddy says it's time to put it away. 

So, in the end, all things are His. My life, my dreams, my desires, the people I love, aren't mine, and never have been. So, I hold loosely to them. And firmly to Him. And that's when I can truly enjoy the gifts...and the Giver.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21