Monkey Hand #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Scripture: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." — Matthew 16:25

You know, I heard a story once about how hunters in some parts of the world used to catch monkeys, and it's stuck with me for years because it says so much about human nature.

They would take a coconut, drill a hole just big enough for a monkey's hand to slip through, and put some rice or fruit inside. Then they'd secure the coconut to a tree. The monkey would reach in, grab the food, and make a fist. But here's the thing, that fist was too big to pull back through the hole. All the monkey had to do was let go of the food and he could pull his hand out and be free. But he wouldn't. He'd sit there, holding onto that food, even when the hunters came. His freedom was literally one choice away, but he'd rather lose everything than open his hand.

I think about that monkey sometimes when I look at my own life. How often do we hold onto things so tightly that we lose our freedom? Maybe it's a relationship that's become unhealthy, but we can't let go. Maybe it's a job that's consuming us. Maybe it's money, or reputation, or control over our kids' lives. We grip these things with white knuckles, and all the while, we're the ones becoming trapped.

Jesus said something that seemed backwards to his disciples: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). That's the paradox of the Kingdom. The tighter we hold onto our lives, our plans, our stuff, the more we actually lose. But when we open our hands and surrender it all to Him, that's when we find real life.

I'm too soon old and too late smart on this, but I've learned that God never asks us to release something without giving us something better in return. But we've got to trust Him enough to open our hands first.

So here's what I want you to think about today: What are you holding onto so tightly that it's keeping you trapped? When we hold onto anything more tightly than we hold onto Jesus, we've already lost it. But when we surrender everything to Him, we find that we never really lose anything that matters.

Let's pray: Father, show us what we're gripping too tightly. Give us the courage to open our hands and trust You with the things we're afraid to lose. Help us remember that You are better than anything we could hold onto. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#Faith #Surrender #ChristianLiving #DailyDevotion #TrustGod #BiblicalWisdom #SpiritualGrowth #RTTBROS #Nightlight

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