MINISTER'S MOMENT

Have you ever had to "let go" yet? Have you been in that situation where in order for you to move forward, you have to let go of the past? Situations like these often call into question our own strength and if we think our strength is capable of handling what's next.

When Walter was a boy, he told all of his friends that his father was the strongest man alive. Then came a day when Walter climbed to the top of the backyard oak tree. A storm blew up suddenly, and Wally was trapped. "Daddy!" he shouted, and instantly, his father appeared.

"Jump, and I'll catch you," he said.

Walter was frozen with fear. His big strong dad looked quite small and frail down there on the ground, two skinny arms reaching out to catch him. Walter thought, If I jump, and Dad doesn't catch me, I'll hit the ground and die! "NO!" he screamed back. At that moment the limb Walter was clinging to cracked at the trunk. Walter surrendered. He didn't jump-he fell-straight into his Dad's ready arms. Crying and trembling, Walter wrapped his arms and legs around his father. Dad was strong after all. Up to that point, it had only been a theory. Now,

it was a reality; it was experience. (GOD'S Little Lessons for Teens, 195)

I've done it myself, brag about how big and strong my God is, but once I get into trouble up in that tree, I can't seem to let go when my God calls to me. Some tough situations that we tend to put ourselves in might give us a view that god has become small or weak; however, God is still God. He's eternal and unchangeable! The same strength He used to create the universe, to conquer the grave is the same strength that He uses when he catches us. God won't fail, He never has.

Learn to trust in God's strength for your life. When you hear Him calling, know that you can trust Him. David Crowder wrote a song called Forever, etc., and in this song he makes us what we are actually looking for. "Letting go gives a better grip." That doesn't male sense to the world, but when we let go and trust in God's strength, we place it in the grip of the Almighty God! God bless and I love ya!

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

William Widener Associate/Youth Pastor Crosspointe Fellowship Church