“Don’t withhold good from someone entitled to it when you have in hand the power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27 CJB
“It is okay to have “things” as long as the “things” do not have me.”
During the first years of my marriage, I discovered that I had developed an attachment to some of the items (namely furniture) I had acquired during my single life. One particular item was a sofa set someone had given me when I leased my first apartment. I loved that set! It was so elegant to me. My husband had a difficult time convincing me to let it go.
One day, under the request of my husband, I begrudgingly asked a friend who was hosting a garage sale if I could bring the set to sell. What I did not know at the time, was while I was there half-heartedly attempting to negotiate a sell, my husband had a surprise in store. You could imagine my face when I opened the door to see a brand new, beautiful sofa set waiting for me in the living room!
It was then that I began to learn a lesson. It is okay to have “things” as long as the “things” do not have me. I began to develop a mindset that everything I have belongs to God, which has enabled me to become a ‘giver.’ Years later, I have grown from being able to let go of time, money, and recently, even vehicles to bless others when prompted by God.
Maybe God is asking you to let go of something today…perhaps your favorite pair of shoes, a twenty dollar bill, a few hours of your time, or something more substantial like a vehicle or a house. What I have learned over the years is that when God asks us to let something go, He is wanting us to seed that item to someone and most often has a bigger blessing ( or harvest) waiting in the wings. You see, once something is released from our hands, we find that our hands are then open enough to receive.
Even more importantly, if He is asking us to let something go, it is often for the purpose of filling someone else’s need. Proverbs 3:27 tells us that we should not withhold good when it within our power to act. I feel this strongly. In the coming days, we may be asked to share our food during a time of shortage, or a few dollars in a troubled economy. Giving may require somewhat of a sacrifice, but we should not hesitate to do this good. God will surely bless us in the end with an exponential return!
Prayer: Dear Father, help me to recognize You as the Owner of all things in my life. I yield to Your will and make a decision now to sow into others’ lives as You prompt me to, even if it means having to give something up.