As the holiday season approaches, I’ve been reminded of holding things loosely, a principle the Lord has been teaching me the last several years. I’ve been reminded of this, again, as I’ve worked hard cases this week and have helped my own children navigate through life. I’ll share this again, because I’ve needed to hear it.
We put a lot of time and energy into things of this world.
Things having no eternal value,
yet are part of our lives.
Time spent on responsibilities
time spent on things we enjoy
time and energy into things we glean joy from
and things we deem useless.
Hold these things loosely.
It may be our job, our home, our hobbies
Our hopes and dreams for ourselves or our children
The things bringing us the greatest joy
Hold them loosely.
It may be our children
Our friends
Our parents
Decisions made by others we don’t think is best
Hold it loosely.
Hold it loosely so if it’s blown away
or snatched away
or dropped
or given away
there is peace in letting go.
Not grasping, clenching so tight
the natural order cannot take it’s course
desperate to hold on to what may not be ours to begin with
if we believe everything is truly the Lords.
Hold on loosely
Trusting the Giver
more than loving the gift.
Trusting Him to place something in your hand
much greater than what He took.
Leaving your hand open for the opportunity.
Lord, Jesus, place in our hands that which You desire
and that alone.
Brenda L. Yoder, author
Still Waters Coaching 
I love the thought that we need to hold on loosely so God can place opportunity in our hand.
We’ll have to leave it in an instant when the Lord comes for us!
This post reminded me of James 4:14: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” I find it very challenging to hold onto my worldly treasures “loosely,” fully and completely trusting and believing that “everything is the Lord’s” as you say in your poem. As a person who is growing in her faith, it can be challenging to approach God with an “undivided loyalty” that James speaks of in 1:5-8. But one day, I hope I can reach that final stage of faith that is “fully developed,…perfect and complete, needing nothing (James 1:4).” Thank you for your words of wisdom. Clearly, you have a heart for the Lord and He is speaking through you. This post just connected many dots for me in the James Bible study that Max and I have been working on for the last 8 weeks.
Blessings, Brenda!
Thanks, Michelle. I encourage you to continue your study of God’s word, and hunger for it. It will be the foundation for you when life’s challenges and experiences throw challenges at you. The book of James is a great book to study. Continue growing, walking, seeking. Just when we think we “get there”, we find out we know even less of God because He’s that big. But there’s so much comfort in resting in Him. Have a great week, Michelle!