Kingdom ComeSample

PRAYER:

God, show me the things I run to for security and significance in this life. Help me to let go of them and trust you.

READING:

Imagine you are the lone survivor of a shipwreck. You float for days, clinging onto a piece of wood recovered from the wreckage. Then, after all hope seems lost, a boat appears on the horizon. Soon, the boat pulls alongside you and someone throws you a line. They tell you to let go of the wood and grab onto the line. This seems like a simple decision, right? You are in a desperate situation you can’t get out of on your own, and someone has come along who is both willing and able to save you. All you need to do is let go of the wood and reach for the lifeline. All you need to do is trust.

But what if before you grab the line, you begin to question your decision, thinking about how this piece of wood has gotten you through a lot during the last few days at sea. It has been there when you needed it, and you’ve come to depend on it for survival. Letting go of it to grab onto something else is too much to ask. So you yell back to the boat, “No. I’m gonna stick with the wood!”

That would be a crazy decision! But whether we realize it, it’s one we tend to make all the time in our spiritual lives. When Jesus invites us to follow him and live a new way of life as a part of his kingdom, he invites us to transfer our trust. He invites us to let go of the things we have previously trusted for our security and significance—and to take hold of him as our new source. This “letting go” of our way of life can, at times, feel a lot like dying, like we are losing our life as we know it. It can be scary and even painful to take that step. 

And, unlike the story of the shipwreck survivor, our decision to let go and trust will not be a one-time decision. Even after we decide to trust Jesus and follow him, we will at times find ourselves clinging to portions of our old way of life. We will catch ourselves returning to those familiar sources of security and significance. And each time we will need to make the decision—again—to let go and take hold of the life Jesus offers instead. 

When you find yourself facing another moment like this, remind yourself of Jesus's promise in the passage above. It is through the losing, the letting go, of our lives that we find them, in the deepest and fullest sense.

REFLECTION:

Jesus invites us to transfer our trust from the old, familiar things we cling to for hope and security to something much better: Jesus himself. What areas are the hardest for you to let go and trust him with? Spend some time journaling and ask God to reveal areas in your heart and life where you are still struggling to trust him.