Reflection
I can remember sitting in a church Bible study not long after I got sober, and my Pastor said something that changed my thinking forever. He shared with us that NOTHING was ours–everything on the planet and in the universe was God’s.
I was only a couple of years sober at that point in my journey, and as an alcoholic and addict, I was slowly coming to grips with all the things I had no control over. Most of us with addiction problems are control freaks and very self-centered.
I had an “epiphany moment” in that Bible study, and from then on…
- I no longer considered the house we lived in “mine” or “ours.
- ‘It was a blessing and on loan from God.
- I began viewing my wife and kids the same way, as well as my family and friends. (The recent deaths of my parents and in-laws tested my “grip,” as Ten Boom alludes to in the opening quote).
- I no longer viewed my income as mine. Instead, I viewed it as a loan/blessing from God.
- My businesses are on loan to me from God.
- The same goes for my time and my talents.
This paradigm shift in my life helped me better understand that all blessings are transient and are given to us by God for a short time, and the blessings will not multiply or continue unless our “grip” is loose and we are willing to pass the blessings forward.
Question
How tightly are you holding onto your time, talent, treasure, and other people, places, and things?
Try loosening your grip, and better yet, let go and let God.
You will be amazed at the results.
Proverbs 11:24-25, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
P.E.A.C.E.
