Imagine you are holding a balloon. You fill it with the things you value most. The core values that make you who you are. The things you hope and believe in. You stuff them all in and blow it up. You’re standing there holding it, then someone whispers let it go.
Let it go? But it’s mine? But it will fly away? What if whoever finds it doesn’t understand it and I’m not there to explain? What if whoever finds it doesn’t value it as much as me? What if no one ever finds it and it’s stuck in a tree somewhere? It’s better if it stays with me. It’s safer with me.
But in this world where “Satan is walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he should devour” (1 Peter 5:8) can we afford to keep what we believe in safe with us? It’s different for us, because what we believe in can save the world.
When people reject, misunderstand, or just don’t care about what we hold dear, what does that say about us? It is tempting to make sure our beliefs fit in nicely with the world around us in order to save ourselves from the judgement of others. Just like I have no control over where that balloon is going to land, likewise I have no control over how my words and actions will land in others’ hearts. Some will praise me, some will tolerate me, and some will outright reject me, no matter how much I try to please them.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you. So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses, then Christ’s power can live in me.”
If the Spirit is dwelling in me, then I don’t have to worry about how my words will be received. We have the free will to say and do whatever we want, but when I am seeking to honor God with my words and deeds I have the confidence of knowing He has gone before me. He has prepared the hearts of those who are ready to receive Him and is continually working on those who are not. We are just the messengers, but we have a glorious story to share with the world. And the last thing I want to do is hold on tight to something that is meant to be let go.
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