Letting Go

Last week FIRE & WATER's Mystery Adventure was ice skating. We've been talking about going for a while and on this day we hit the ice. Sometimes literally.

For two students, that was a real fear. They has never been ice skating before. Being Canadian, it's something I've done all my life and have no problem explaining to others. But there is one fundamental issue everyone has to overcome, and these two students were polar opposites.

The biggest hurdle you have to overcome: Let go of the boards.

That wall is safety. Away is danger, falling, cold, even pain. So people hold on to the boards. The problem is, you can't skate holding onto the boards. You have to let go. One student, no problem. They were covered in ice and snow, their legs wet, for a while they fell every two steps. By the end of the day they were nowhere near a pro, but they were much better and even had a little bit of speed in their stride. The other student, it took a lot more to get them away from the wall. I may have taken them by the hand, dragged them out and let them go...

But isn't that what it's like with Jesus? We hear all the analogies of stepping out of the boat. We can't truly follow Jesus and be His disciple and still hold onto our safety rails, whatever they may be. And it may hurt, and we may fall. But Jesus is okay with that, if He wasn't He wouldn't be the one to drag us out and let go.

The only way to skate is to let go of the boards. The only way to follow Jesus is to let go of whatever it is that you're holding onto instead of Him...

T