Letting go: The refreshing plunge of faith

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By Sandra Sheridan

2 Corinthians 4:10 “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

I have come to the conclusion that a person must let go of something good in order to gain what is better. This is very hard to do in a world that promotes the mindset that everyone should grab all they can get. But in God’s economy you must let go of what the world has to offer in order to receive what is the best. This takes faith!

I remember as a child our family vacationing one summer near a lake. While there I splashed in the waves at the edge of the shore and built sandcastles on the beach. Out in the deeper waters was a large slide on which many of the older children played. They climbed to the top and sailed down the incline into the cool refreshing waters. My dad convinced me to try, so we waded out and I climbed to the top of the ladder. As I perused the scene from the top of the world, my courage faltered. It was a long way down! My dad stood at the bottom cajoling with the promise of catching me, but I remained paralyzed.

Finally the prodding of the noisy kids in line behind me convinced me to move. I grabbed the edges of the slide and inched my way down holding on for dear life. I finally made it to the bottom, but my hands were scraped from grasping the metal side. The joy of the ride and the refreshing plunge into the water were lost to me. I was too afraid and didn’t have the faith to let go.

In the Bible God consistently points us towards faith in His promises. He calls us to let go of the earthly life we know and so highly value in order to experience the fullness of what He has to offer.

For example:

• To experience God’s salvation, we must let go of our desire to handle things on our own (Titus 3:5).

• To experience the full benefits of this eternal life, we must let go of our sinful ways (Galatians 2:20).

• To have a part in bringing others to the knowledge of God’s plan of salvation, we must be willing to let go of comforts, privileges, and safety in order to spread the news (2 Corinthians 4:10,12).

• To invest in heavenly treasures, we must be willing to cheerfully let go of our earthly wealth (Proverbs 3:9-10).

• To meet our physical death with confidence, we must be willing to let go of our physical body in order to receive the glorified body God has promised us (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Unfortunately, I never did go back on the slide that day. By not trusting my father, I now know that I missed out on the thrill and the enjoyment of a great ride into the water.

Do you want to experience an exhilarating ride with all the blessings God has for you? Step out in faith that is focused on Him! Surrender everything in order to receive God’s best. If you hold too tightly to the world’s offerings, you will get to the bottom of the slide with scrapes all over your hands and miss the refreshing plunge at the bottom. — Love Mama

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Sandra Sheridan is a Midwest wife and mother of 5. She shares her letters to her children with our readers. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com.

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