Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 3:11, “While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.”
A family with a young boy was finishing its shopping, including the two or three year-old who had been pushing around a kiddie shopping cart. When it came time to put the boy’s cart away and checkout, the tike was not interested in surrendering his basket. As his parent tried to separate him from it, he simply held on tighter and resisted louder. Gradually, the dad lifted the shopping cart up away from him, but only to realize that the boy was still hanging on to the handle with both hands, even as his feet came well off the ground and he rose into the air, much to the amusement of my kids who were watching. A different sort of clinging might come to mind if you remember walking through the woods and at some point noticing some little green triangular seeds stuck to your socks or pants leg. These seeds, what we called hitchhikers and others might call beggarticks or beggarlice, easily and effectively attached themselves to whatever passed by to aid in their dispersion and reproduction. Clinging, as we might refer to it, is far more common in our lives than we might be willing to admit. Cluttered rooms, rental storage units, attics, spare closets and junk drawers attest to our tendency to keep more and longer than we need to.
But we also cling much too tightly to things we cannot see. I wonder how full your morning or evening prayers are of the thoughts and actions, the habits of years or decades, that you have not or will not let go of. What is there that feels so natural, so much a part of you, that when honestly considered, is a part of the old you that you are still clinging to? What have you become, or are you becoming, that finds its source in your tight grip of things you have been delivered from? Few would say they intentionally cling to old, sinful ways in light of the alternative. But something is off kilter when so many of us can still sound and act like we can sound and act, even in the shortest of words or the smallest of acts. That’s why we have to actively cling to Jesus. So do it, with both hands, no matter where it takes your feet. Cling, and watch how you can let go of the rest.
As we seek Him today, take a closer look at what is clinging to you. Hold on to what sounds and acts like the Savior.
Have a delightful Tuesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
