Grab and Hold or Release?

Not far from where we lived in Oakland, California was a small bargain Thrift store that helped in the support of the Fred Finch Home.  I took my girls to the store, many times and we would find lovely articles, many were brand new, that we could enjoy for a small price.

The store was located at the edge of the property belonging to the Fred Finch-Youth Center. A home like setting was provided by the Youth Center for hurting youth who required services not available from other agencies.

I found this interesting that one of its most prominent early residents was Pulitzer Prize winner and academy award winning writer: William Saroyan, who wrote about his experiences while living with his siblings at the Fred Finch Center in the early 1900s.

At the Thrift store, I discovered two lovely carnival glass bowls that I purchased there. The volunteer told me that they had gone through the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. I still have one of the bowls today in my possession.

One day, it seemed the Lord was telling me to give one of the two bowls to Ethel, a young girl that I worked with, becaise I knew that she was interested in old carnival glass. Ethel was being transferred to another department, and the team members were giving her a little going away party, so I brought the dish all wrapped up nice, and gave it to her.

She was very surprised and asked, how could I part with such a treasure? I hesitated a bit, and then I told her, “You may not believe this, but God told me to give this to you.”

She accepted my answer without question, because she knew I was a Christian and that I listened to the Lord.

There are many things (possessions) we hold dear, and some belongings we tend to clutch more tightly. It is the holding that which is ours, in an open hand that will bring us peace if we find it suddenly snatched from us.

Another way of saying this would be to “Let things go with no regrets.” To enjoy them while you have them, but to be willing to release them, if the need arises that they are taken away.

I am reminded that God released his very own son from the glories of heaven and allowed him to become flesh, and to eventually be crucified as a sacrifice for our benefit.

Were it not for God’s open hand to give us His Son, we would be lost, but because of His love, we have been found.

As Jesus prepared to return to heaven, He released to us His Holy Spirit so that we, each and every one of us can enjoy daily, His presence within our heart.