letting go of life

Matthew 10:39 If you cling to your life, you'll lose it; if you give it up for Me, you will find it.

I went to Greenvile, GA yesterday have lunch with my friend & brother, Jack.

(It was the beginning of a LONG day. I went from there to ATL to REI to pick up a tent for The Warehouse. Have you ever noticed that there's a lot of people in ATL, & they all drive cars & are on the roads at the same time?!)

Anyway, back to lunch with Jack...

We were sitting around talking after lunch about our lives. While we were doing that, I'm kinda sorta having a conversation in my head with God.

For the last 3 years, I've been living with this verse, & God's been trying to make it a reality in my life.

I wish I has a dollar for every time He's poked me & said, "Don't cling to your life..."

Iow, don't cling to something in my life I think I can't live without, or cling to something I think defines me.

During this time I've thought about the fact that we spend out lives trying to make OUR dreams happen, & get frustrated, cranky, or depressed if they don't happen like we want them to, or if they don't come to fruit at all.

But God's been poking me with the idea that He dreamed a dream for each of our lives - for my life - a gajillion years ago, long before any of us were born.

And if we simply let go of our lives & basically say, "whatever" to God, this frees Him to make this life He dreamed for us to happen.

Iow, we can quit making our life happen & let Him (the God of the unverses) make it happen.

Do you sense the release & freedom that can bring?

Anyway, sitting there on the big green couch in Jack's house, I was thinking how much I've changed recently. I think I'm the closest I've ever been to really "giving it up for Me" than I've ever been.

I'm beginning to think I pretty close to REALLY in a "whatever" mode with God. (I know - it's about time!) I'm trying to quit making my life happen, & letting Him make it happen.

Now, ya gotta kinda be in a "whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however" kinda thought process for this to work, but just think of this...

If we relinquish control of our lives, if we let God have His way in our lives, He can implement His dreams into our lives...

Let's remember He created each of us, knows us through & through, knows the BIG picture for humankind - like how it all's gonna play out, & knows how to use us in the overarching plan He has for humankind.

It's been interesting how my life has taken some pretty amazing & creative turns the more I do this.

It's definitely not dull.

It's definitely not the what I would have picked for me.

Would I trade it for a life I've conceived for me?

Nope.

The more I let God make my life happen, the more I find that the life I've always wanted in happening.

hmmmmmmmmmm.....