And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.” -D7C 78:17-19
There is an ancient device made to catch monkey’s by hollowing out a coconut, filling it with food and leaving it tied to a tree. A monkey would become trapped by reaching in for the food because the hole was just big enough for the hand to enter but too small to take it out.Contrary to the monkeys belief, it was not the coconut that was the trapping the monkey. In reality, it was the monkey’s own mind, greed, attachment to his physical possessions, it’s unwillingness to “Let Go.” Are we sometimes like these monkeys? Do we bring self-afflicted pain into our lives? Do we blame others and outside sources for our own choices? Our own blindness? Our own sins and mistakes? I know I am guilty of this.
Letting go is hard. We feel that we are loosing something that is valuable and precious. We fear that if we let go of this thing we will loose ourselves. Whatever it is that we cling onto- hatred, sorrow, regret, anger, fear, doubt, pride, ego, jealously, judgement, (and the list goes on) in short, our will- whatever it is, if we take courage and LET GO we will LIVE. We cannot truly live and hold onto those things.
Christ is the one who enables us to let go. He replaces hatred with charity, sorrow with joy, regret with hope. anger with peace, fear with courage, doubt with faith, pride with humility, ego with unity, jealousy with admiration, judgment with acceptance. He is the way, the truth and the light. He is the one who stands by our side, all the day long, urging us to let go, let go, let go. He will not force us to let go, but he will always invite and encourage. He has already felt our pains and sins. They are paid for in FULL! It is accomplished, finished, done, complete! All we must choose is if we are willing to let go, to cast our burdens on Him, to submit our will to Gods will.
We do, indeed, fool ourselves in thinking that we know best. That what we have in mind is far greater than what God could give us, but we forget- Gods love for each of us, individually is perfect and full. He is all knowing, all powerful, all loving. As we simply leave our will at the feet of the Savior, He will offer us a far greater gift. As we simply let go of the handful of things we think we are clinging onto, Christ will immediately fill our hands with blessings! But first, we must empty our hands, as to receive gifts far too great to comprehend.
In closing, I will share Jim’s experience of letting go and receiving blessings. Jim is a very special soul and I love him! He has met with the missionaries on and off for almost a year now. There were many road blocks in the way of baptism and confirmation. One great one was work on Sundays. Sister Thomas had the brilliant idea of him going to work, leaving to come to the first hour of church then returning until he could get Sundays off. Jim had some fears of confronting his work about this idea, but he let go of his doubts and fears! He let go of his comfort and he lived! He found new life through Christ and new hope! His baptism was a wonderful, sacred experience! Jim has pretty severe health problems and pain-especially in his back. He said that the entire time, he felt a warm pressure and support, almost like a blanket around his back. As he came out of the water, he said he felt close to Christ and it was almost an out of body experience, feeling that he was both experiencing and witnessing it. Feeling, for the first time in years, entirely free from all pain. Just peace. Just warmth. Just love.
This week, Let Go and Live! Think of one thing you are holding onto and let go of it. I know as you do, you will more fully experience life and love. You will feel close to God and feel of His enabling power in your life. It can be hard to let go- but we don’t have to do it alone! Ask for help from your family and friends and most importantly, ask for help from your Father in Heaven. He will support you in all your righteous efforts! As you empty your hands, it will put you in a position to be blessed! Watch for the blessings. The Lord will immediately pour them into your life! He has power to do so because He has suffered all these things so you don’t have to. Of this I testify, in the sacred name of our Jesus Christ, amen!
p.s. Let me know what you were able to let go of this week and share the blessings you received as a result! I will do the same! Until then 🙂
Sister Rebekah Ruth Folkman 