Pull-It

Pull-It

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Luke 9:24

The name is much simpler but pull-it is nothing more than a game of tug of war played between a 20 month old granddaughter and her adoring grandfather. And pull it is a game that always ends with grandpa letting go and getting to reap the incredible blessing of seeing his granddaughter smile and hearing her laugh over her hard fought victory. It was after one of these little games that the Lord reminded me that letting go is the surest way to the joy and peace that each of us is seeking after.

His book on the same subject is nothing more than a collection of letters, written in the seventeenth century, appropriately entitled “Let Go”, in which Archbishop Fenelon shared the secrets he had learned in his years of seeking God, from having faced trials, difficulties, and longings not much different really than you and I face in our struggles. The lessons learned were invaluable and timeless, still applicable almost four hundred years later. And they could be summed up so simply: Let go and let God!

The message of “let go and let God” is for those times when we battling in our own strength to hold onto something, maybe a relationship, a dream or a reputation, instead of trusting in the Lord and letting Him do the work. In one letter, Fenelon writes:

“Don’t allow yourself to be upset by what people are saying about you. Let the world talk. All you need to be concerned about is doing the will of God. One quiet moment in the presence of God will more than repay you for every slander that will ever be leveled against you.”

In another letter to a friend struggling with changes taking place in their life, he writes:

“So do not be surprised at again finding yourself becoming sensitive, impatient, haughty, and self-willed. You have to understand that that is your natural disposition, and without God’s grace, you will never be anything different. We must give up hope in ourselves, and have no hope but in God.”

The theme of letting go is a call to stop worrying and to stop struggling, and to let God do the work in our lives. Much like in my game of “pull-it” with little Hopey, when I let go, I always win.

God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church