Holding On Instead of Letting Go

This is an amplified excerpt from my upcoming book “The Side Door: Welcoming God’s Divine Detours.” What are you twisting away from that God is trying to lead you towards?

It’s easy to rejoice in and with God in our beautifully abundant seasons when we feel close to him. It’s a cinch when we are reasonably happy with our circumstances and in harmony with his plans and purposes. I pray if you are in that season that you are basking in the moment.  Because more than likely your next challenge is probably just around the corner.

Out of our deep Love for the Lord comes a desire to please Him and do what He asks us to do, at least in general. But there are times in our walk when He begins to make it clear He wants us to do something that is wildly out of our comfort zone. Jonah learned that lesson well when he ignored God’s plan for him to travel to a place of great need. Instead he ended up in the stomach of a big fish. 

I still remember the day I took my 18 month-old son Max to be tested for developmental delays. Initially I exchanged exchanged pleasantries with a team of educators and psychologists. But most of what they said to me was white noise, except for the words “he probably has autism.” My son and I waked out of the room and onto a grassy mound.  On that spring day, a cool breeze blew through my hair. The beauty of the day bore a sharp contrast to what suddenly appeared to be dark unknowns looming in my tomorrows. Tears began flowing down my checks. I suddenly stopped in my tracks as a chilling thought passed through my mind. Let go of his hand and just walk away from him. Of course it was illogical, inconceivable and illegal, but I have to admit to you despite all rationale it was tempting.

Of course, if I had given into that temptation, my little Maxie would have ended on the news.  Or perhaps a milk carton. But sometimes in the millisecond, a death of a thousand dreams occurs. Rationale has taken a holiday and panic takes over. I already knew some of what would lie ahead of me in raising him. Temper tantrums, special schooling, physical challenges and potentially violent behavior. Thankfully, as I stood at the crossroad between despair and courage, the Lord took my hand and filled me with the strength and courage to resist temptation that day. In the 17 years that followed, God continued to show up and brought me through similar despairing moments many more times throughout the course of his teen years.

There have been countless times that I wanted to throw up my hands and walk away from God’s plan, or amend it to better suit my own needs. Although God did not let me walk away from the burden, He does remind me every day to lay it down and lean on Him. I’m also able to lean on a handful of His servants who come alongside me every day. They help me accomplish the plan He laid out for me as well as for my son.

God stood by His son in the same way when He stood on top of a mountain in the desert and Satan tempted Him to jump off and end His life as recorded in Matthew 4. He stands by you and I each day as we face trials as part of His larger plan. While we are often tempted to twist away from it, He graciously steers us back on course when we permit Him to guide and direct us. When we trust God in the big and small details of our lives, we can be sure that He knows better than we do how to live out our days on Earth to accomplish His plans and purposes. As I trust Him, I know He will help me hold onto the hands He’s entrusted to me. He holds tightly onto mine to see me to the end of my journey. Know in your heart, friend, He will do the same for you when you look to His leading, delight in His will and walk in His ways.

Keys to Kingdom Living: Resist amending God’s plans and conform your will to His.

Doorpost: “But the plans of the Lord stand firm, the purposes of His heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:11 NIV