"Please Don't Fight These Hands That Are Holding You"

     I mess up a lot. I get myself into situations where I try to handle everything on my own.  That’s not the biggest problem though. The big problem here is that despite knowing that I need God’s embrace and direction the most, I still try to bear my burdens alone. Sometimes I just simply don’t let Him hold me. I think this is something we all do from time to time. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t we sometimes like to pretend that we can do things on our own? I think the majority here would probably say yes. Maybe it’s just our flawed way of thinking or our intense desire to want to be strong and independent, but in certain situations we think, “hey I’ve got this all on my own!” But then eventually that turns into, “I think I’ve got this… I mean, I probably do.” Until it turns into, “yeah I DEFINITELY can’t handle this alone.” God desires to hold our hearts and to carry our burdens. But He can’t do that unless you let Him.

     I know I’m not alone in the fight to relinquish all control up to God. Personally, I try to carry my crosses alone. Even in times when it couldn’t be more obvious that asking God for help would be the best solution, I still try to be independent. To save you all from a very long explanation, I’ll shorten it to this: I sometimes allow myself to think that being strong and independent means that I can’t ask God for help. So often times I will find myself attempting to take on the world alone. Most times when I do this, I know deep in my heart that God is quietly sitting by, waiting to carry my burdens. I can even hear His gentle whisper, “My beloved, let go, give it all up to ME.” In these moments, I feel a deep pull in the center of my being. I know its God reminding me that I was not created to carry my burdens alone. I didn’t reach this conclusion until about two years ago. I was stressed out (as per usual) and I was explaining to a friend my struggle to let my burdens go and hand them over to God. Her response was pretty simple. She said, “Why are you trying to do this all on your own? You know you can’t. This feeling you’re telling me about? It’s God reminding you that He is there to help you. Let Him help you.” A few simple sentences radically changed my perspective.

     This idea of giving all your burdens up to God is not easy; it takes time, persistence, and a whole lot of prayer. But the result of doing this cannot be adequately described through these small words on this blog. I promise you, you are not alone in your struggle to let go. I promise that God is patiently waiting to take all of your burdens off of your back. I promise you that letting go does not mean you’re too weak to handle your struggles. It shows that you trust in God enough to help you carry your cross.

     Keep in mind another gift God has given us. God blessed us with family and friends not to simply be there when things are easy, but rather He gave us one another in order to not walk this world alone. As Proverbs 17:17 says perfectly, “a friend loves at all times”. This means that the friends that we have are not just there for the good times, but they are there to support us in the bad times as well. If you find yourself struggling to give up your burdens to God, turn to them in your struggle and ask them to help you.

     I hope you are able to begin to recognize the days when you try to handle too much on your own and when you do recognize them, I hope you can to pause for a moment and remind yourself that God desires every piece of you, even the messy, confused, and broken parts. Open yourself up to God’s loving embrace. He desires to help you through every moment, the good moments and the bad. You must be willing to make a conscious effort every time you’re in situation where you know that you need God. In those situations, give it all up to Him, because He wants every piece of you.

     Tenth Avenue North says it best, so I’ll leave you with these words. “Cause I love you, I want you to know, that I love you, I’ll never let you go. And I’ll be by your side, wherever you fall. In the dead of night, whenever you call. Please don’t fight these hands that are holding you. My hands are holding you.”

Praying for you friends,

Micaela