by Pastor Chan Chong Yew
Letting
Go & Letting God
By
Ps Chong Yew
There
is a story that says in Africa, the natives use a technique to catch monkeys.
They hollow out one end of a coconut and they put peanuts in there. The monkey
puts his hand in the coconut and when he makes a fist to grab the peanuts, he's
trapped. The natives will pull a string attached to the other end of the
coconut and capture the monkey. Motivational speakers use this story all the
time to inspire people to "let go" of their old perceptions - since
in truth, the monkey was never trapped. All he had to do was let go of the
peanuts.
What
does it mean to submit myself under God and give Him full authority over my
life? It involves releasing what I hold dearest in my heart and give God the
full authority over it. It could be my life goals and direction, it could be
how I spend my time, and it could be my character and habits. Unless these are
submitted to God, we could be like the monkey that never let go.
When
I was younger, I was holding onto my dreams that meant the world to me, and I
wasn’t about to submit them to anyone. I was a goal getter and had my own ideas
of how my future wife would be like. I had the desire to climb the corporate
ladder so that I could achieve a certain social status, at the same time, I
wanted to give my life to serve God. These conflicting thoughts were resident
until I encountered God and sensed His love for me. Jesus gave up His life and
His earthly dreams in exchange for my salvation. He too struggled in His
submission to the Father. As He willingly forsake His own goal in exchange for
a higher goal, God resurrected Jesus and crowned Him with honor and glory. This
realization caused my perspectives to change and my heart started to take on a
different direction. I began to treasure things that are beneficial and
practical, and not things that are glamorous. I took joy in doing things that
would benefit others. I realized the things that glitter don’t look as
attractive as before. While my colleagues splurged on expensive cars, and
branded stuff, I stayed practical. My wife and I could save enough money to
purchase investments and to help the poor.
Before
God could use a person, God wanted to make sure that He had full authority over
his life. Abraham was in a dilemma when God instructed him to sacrifice his
only son Isaac to Him. This is an impossible decision that no man can make; who
would kill their own son! However, Abraham made a supernatural and unnatural
decision. God gave him the strength to submit this last area of his life to
God. Of course we know that God did not allow Abraham to kill his own son, but
instead provided an animal in Isaac’s place. God boomed from heaven saying,
“Abraham, now I know that you have put me above all things.” (Genesis 22:12). Submitting
our life goals to God will give Him the authority to use our life for honour and
glory. By submitting our habits and daily hours to God allows Him to help us
maximise our time and to increase our capacity to bear fruit.
Back
then, I made a list of the qualities that I would pursue in my future wife. I
also planned my finances as wisely as I can. While people spent their weekends
enjoying themselves and catching up on homework. I used my weekends to do God’s
work while I worked doubly hard on my schoolwork during the weekdays.
What
is the last unconquered and untamed territory of your life? Are you submitting
your relationships to God? What about your financial planning? Or is it the
pride of life that is directing your life goals? Let us release those “peanuts”
in the hole of the coconut and allow God to spread a sumptuous feast in your
honor. Let go and let God.
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