An Open Hand

Bible reading: Matthew 16:24 – 28

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and will to Christ care and control.

“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)

Many of us who struggle with addictions have spent much of our strengths just trying to hold on to our lives. Maybe we fear loosening our grip to let someone else take care of us. We may be doing a lousy job of caring for our own life, but we still hesitate about letting go. Perhaps, we are afraid that if we do let go, no one will be there to take hold of us.

In the Old Testament we often hear about people being “consecrated” to God.  This meant that they were making a decision to turn the remainder of their lives over to God for whatever purpose he desired. The root of this word literally means “an open hand” as opposed to a close. They had a ceremony to let go of what they were holding onto for their own lives, and to proclaim that God was welcome to take hold of them. Jesus told us, “For anyone who keeps his life for himself shall lose it; and anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again” (Matthew 16:25 – 26). By now we probably recognize that we were losing our lives anyway, no matter how hard we tried to hang on.

Once we decide to let go of the control of our own will in our lives, something wonderful is promised. Jesus says of those who turned their lives over to him: “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from.” (John 10:28). When we finally find the courage to let go, God is waiting to grasp our lives firmly and hold them securely for all eternity.

Holding on, we lose what we have; letting go, we receive more.

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