"Can I have this mommy?" Kaleb asked me yesterday afternoon while holding up a used fabric softener sheet he found among the newly folded pile of laundry. "It mell (smells) good," he smiled, as he breathed in the fresh linen scent. "Sure, you can have it," I consented and chuckled to myself as Kaleb ran out of the room feeling overjoyed. He looked like a real live Febreze commercial, intoxicated by the aroma of a uh... dryer sheet. *Blank stare*
Now fast forward to early last evening. Kaleb came into my bedroom crying.
"What's the matter?" I asked sympathetically.
Well, I won't give you the long drawn out answer Kaleb gave me, complete with the sniffles and repetition of the same sentence five times in a row. Essentially, his big brother Kedar had devalued the "ever-so-important" fabric softener sheet and torn it to shreds. Kaleb was really broken up about it, even though the shredded sheet had served its purpose and was pretty much useless. I wanted to crack up laughing, but I held it together, realizing that this was a serious crisis for my three year old.
Po' thang.
Sometimes we can behave just like Kaleb. We have trouble releasing things that are no longer of any substance or value to us. And since we don't know how to let go, God allows what we're attached to, to get torn up and released by force.
Sure, it hurts us, but it's for our good. God knows we don't need it, even though we want it. But He loves us enough to help us move forward. For a while we might cry over it, but we'll also get over it with the passage of time.
Then, we'll look back with eyes of clarity and see how unnecessary that thing we held on to for so long, really was. Our tears will turn into laughter, joy, and thankfulness because of what God delivered us from. Today, if God is stirring your nest and nudging you to a new place in Him that requires leaving some stuff behind, trust Him and let it go.
You'll find that what He has in store for you is worth far more than what you had to give up. I'm reminded of an old song that says, "I'm leaving all to follow Jesus/Turning all this world away/Stepping out upon His promise/All I have is His today!"
Give Him your all and watch what He does in return.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs