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 the fact 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 that point on…
- I no longer considered the house we lived in as “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 dad and father-in-law really 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 in life are transient and are given to us from 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 on.
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.
