Release

Morning devotion: "Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you..." John 16:7b

The disciples, like all of us, wanted it all.  They wanted Jesus, their friend, their savior, their trusted leader, to stay with them forever... but they also wanted the new, wonderful, interesting relationship they believed they would have with the soon-to-come Holy Spirit.  

But Jesus said, "No".  They could not have both; it was impossible.

I think God deals with us in much the same way.  In order to take hold of all that God has so divinely planned for us in the future, we must be willing to let go of the past, the present, and our concept of the future, to take hold of that which is waiting for us in God's precious hand.  Generally we cannot have both.  We must take the risks required to let go of the comfortable, the known, and the proven, and take the next steps of progress forward in order to fully possess all that God has in store for us.  Maybe we must let go of a job, a ministry, an attitude, a fear, a 'friend', a sense of comfort and belonging...  Whatever it is, we must, through God's strength, garner the initiative to move on by letting go.

The comfort of the known is delightful.  However, the discomfort of the unknown, the uncertainty of something new, the risk in leaving all we know behind, and the sheer terror that grips us in the light of potential failure or looking foolish in the world's eyes is completely worth it.

The fear of the world's eyes is likely one of the strongest pulls toward personal stagnancy.  What will people think?  What will they say? What will happen to my reputation?  What will happen to the love, support and acceptance I experience so abundantly now?  It is so easy to so freely say, "Who cares what other people think?!" But in everyday reality, it is eternally difficult to follow through in faith and actually test that theory.

We are constantly marketing ourselves, selling ourselves into the good graces of human acceptance.  How very tragic that we in the world have made everyone feel this way.  Our lack of grace; our condemning spirit; our inconsistent love; our unpredictable favor and/or wrath.  The industry of personal image marketing and manipulation of others for the sake of winning their approval has swept across the globe and has entered the darkest caverns of the human soul.

Our job in truly following the words and example of Jesus, therefore, must surely be two-fold.  

First, we must all step out in faith to release the old and embrace the new.  Just do it and trust the Lord to bring us through to greater heights and more abundant fulfillment.  Start small.  Don't expect to master it in a day.  Take one leap of faith today.  See the Lord's faithfulness.  See how he provides for our every need.  Then tomorrow another step forward; and then the next day... I think we will be constantly shocked and amazed at the ways in which we see the Lord working in and through our lives.

Second, we must make it one of our top priorities in life and give every effort possible to accept those who are on the move.  Surround them in love and forsake the spirit of judgement.  Release the cynicism and find the treasure of possibility.  Let us encourage one another so very deeply as together we all strive after that glorious future God has for us if only we are willing in faith and uncertainty for tomorrow to let go.

~lk~