Hold Things Loosely

I got some extensions. My hair just wouldn’t grow and the coloring and the heating tools I used did it no favors. I remember having them put in. They were beautiful. They blended in very nicely and I am telling you, nobody could tell I had them. I had them for a couple of weeks and was seriously so excited about them. I felt pretty. I felt confident. But I was getting ready one morning and I heard Him say, “would you take those out if I asked you to?” I paused. I didn’t want to give them up.

Knowing that God, my creator, who does not make mistakes, made me just the way I am, and here I was trying to enhance my looks and put so much importance on them. Did I love them more than I loved Him? Of course not. Would I give them up for Him? We want to say that we would give anything up for Him, but it can be hard. I knew that if I was this reluctant to give them up then it probably was something I was placing before Him which I did not like at all, so I ended up taking them out that day. I took them out because I wanted to teach my flesh that I choose God in all things. 

I love the way He teaches me. I love the way He guides me to check my heart. To check my motives. He didn’t ask me that question because He didn’t want me to have them. He didn’t want them to have me. 

Again, I don’t think He doesn’t want us to enjoy things, but I know He doesn’t want us to love anything more than Him. We need to learn to check our motives in everything and we need to learn to hold things loosely. If He asks you if you would be willing to give something up for Him and that is something that you are reluctant to do, that is when you need to check your heart and your motive.

He is guiding us in our everyday life. In the silly things, in the big things and in anything that affects our heart. Are we listening? Are we obeying?