It’s the story of your life right now, huh?.  The more I hold on, the more that I fall (and fail).  Well pardner, you need to quit holding on with your own strength and put trust in something you don’t fully understand.

Take a look at this knot.  It’s a prusik knot.  IT WILL HOLD YOU and keep you from falling.  It’s a friction knot climbers use here in the mountains.  The knot will hold you,……….but you can’t hold it.  See it’s made to slide up and down a main rope.  Let go of the knot and it holds tight!  Grab the knot with your hand….. and careful, it starts sliding.  I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense.  My body and brain so afraid of heights is telling me to “hold on with all my might”!  So I grab around the knot……. and fall.  When I let go, I stop falling.  It’s very difficult to tell my “afraid of heights” brain to let go.  But that’s what it takes.

Well, here you and I are on our spiritual journey.  We fall by holding on instead of letting go.  Hard to tell our “afraid of heights” soul that we must trust God isn’t it?  I mean we feel that if we can hold on, we can better our situation.  WE can be better at handling our lives than say God Himself??  Whoa there!!  Did I just admit something?  I must be holding on …….and falling/failing.

Let’s go a little deeper here.  What examples can I give of holding on instead of trusting God and letting go?

Ever feel that you are not “good enough” to be loved by God?  You are holding on, better let go.

Ever think that God doesn’t have time for you?  Better let go.

How bout those times you think that Jesus wouldn’t, couldn’t, shouldn’t die for YOUR sins?  Turn loose, or you’re falling.

Now here’s one……… you think that you’ve been “good enough” with your life so you shouldn’t get a disease, face financial problems, have stress.  In other words, God should be good to you based on how you’ve been acting.  Really?  You are holding on too tight.

It’s possible to hold on too much to our religion (our church activities, or our”good and great habits”) that we actually miss the true Christian relationship with Jesus.  The life filled with mercy, love, and forgiveness.  Better let go and let God.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  Matthew 22:37-39

I know that climbing to the top of a mountain requires a lot of energy.  I have to pull and step and climb one step at a time.  Little did I realize that getting to the top requires me to “rest” and stop and let go of my rope so I wouldn’t fall or slide back down.

It’s the same with our spiritual journey.  It takes energy.  We climb one step at a time, one day at a time. And………….we let go.  We let go of our own strengths (and weaknesses), so that we can completely trust our Lord and Saviour.  He keeps us from falling.  He keeps us.

Let go!

Lord, there is so much I don’t understand about You.  Shoot, I don’t even know how this stupid knot works!  But it does, and so do You.  Help me to let go.  To let go of how I try to live this life,…….. and to fully let You take over.  With my heart, soul, and mind I want to let go and let you hold me.  It scares me.  So help me with my doubts and fears. Thank You Lord!  AMEN!!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher