I’ll never forget that sound… or the smell of sickening smoky burning plastic, and the terror of not being able to breathe. Coming through a near fatal car wreck leaves you with more than just physical injuries and scars. There are memories and images that will be embedded in my mind for years to come. But there are also bits of wisdom that God can only give you when you face death straight in the face and hear Him say, “No my sweet girl, it’s not time yet.” Those lessons and gifts of wisdom God has given me all through this journey are what I choose to focus on. They are what I MUST focus on, or be sucked into the pain and the “woe-is-me” world of depression and discouragement. So, today, I am going to share with you one of the first morsels of wisdom that God gave me in all of this. I pray it will be helpful to you!

A very sobering reality came almost immediately to both Paul and me after our accident: We are in control of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Paul says he now knows the double yellow line down the middle of the road is “just a suggestion!” And the truth is, for someone like me ~ a control freak ~ the knowledge that I am not in control is a hard lesson to learn. I like being in control. When I am going out with friends I want to be the driver; not because I am such a nice person, but because I’m a control freak. When I drive I’m in control!

This control obsession of mine shows itself in many ways, but my big “Ah-Ha” from the wreck came from my need to “hold on.” You see, when someone else is driving and I’m in the passenger seat, I frequently grab for the handle on the door above the window. Somehow it makes me feel safer, like I might have some tiny bit of control if something bad happens. Boy, did I find out just how wrong I’ve been!

After the crash, when I finally came out of the major trauma and drug stupor in the hospital, I found that along with so much of my body, my right hand was completely black and blue and cut up. I understood that the horrible bruising along my right side was from the seat belt. And the pain and bruising on my left was from being thrown over the center console. But my hand? What in the world could have happened there?

When the answer came to me, I almost had to laugh. Mary, the control freak, had been holding on to the handle for dear life. And instead of helping me (a total joke in a true wreck!) that act of “holding on” caused me to have bruises and injuries to my hand that would never have occurred if I had simply let go!  It has now been almost 9 weeks since the crash, and one of the fingers on my right hand is still so swollen and sore that I can’t get my ring off. Hmm… I wonder what God might be trying to teach me? The truth is I don’t have to wonder at all. The first tidbit of wisdom that I am taking away from this wreck is that I need to LET GO of a lot more than just the handle in the car.

Every time I do anything with this bruised hand, I am reminded that when we hold on for dear life we often cause more harm than good! We actually tie God’s hands because we’re grabbing so tight with our own! There is freedom in letting go, and JOY in that freedom! And there is power ~ God’s power ~ fully available to us when we finally let go.

Does anyone else remember as a child, jumping into your daddy’s arms from the edge of the swimming pool? You were scared to death, but your dad kept saying, “Go ahead. Jump! I’ve got you!” The only thing that gave you the courage to jump was the sure knowledge that your daddy loved you and would never let you go. Our Abba (a biblical name for God – translated “Daddy”) says the same thing to us every single day of our lives. As I desperately hold on and try to control things in this life, God lovingly says “Go ahead sweetie ~ let go. I’ve got you!” The only thing I need to hold on to for safety or support or anything else is His hand! It’s a lesson we all need to hear.

What do you need to let go of today? What is it that you are grasping, when God has been telling you “Let go. I’ve got this!” Is it an adult child who is making the wrong life decisions and perhaps you’re taking too much ownership of their problems? Let go! Or perhaps it’s a difficult marriage ~ you may even be trying to change your spouse, and hoping that brings the joy back to your relationship. Let go! Maybe you’re holding on to guilt for something you’ve done, or should have done, or could have done. Let go!

When we finally unwrap our grimy little fingers from around the handle of all the things we’re so desperately holding on to, I believe we will be astonished at what God can and will do. He’s got us. Let’s not tie His hands by grabbing on with our own. LET GO! God is holding you in his strong, capable arms.

Has God been nudging you to let go of something? Share your story with us and others here at the JoyBlog! Just click in the “Comments” link at the top right of the page. And if you know of someone who might benefit from this month’s JoyNews, be sure to share it on Facebook!

Blessings to you all until next time!
Mary Sorrentino