My daughter had a tangled necklace one Sunday morning. I worked on it and worked on it-to no avail. I asked someone else to try. But, they could not either, and gave it back. Again I tried. It would go- almost- and then tighten up worse than before.... Finally, I just gave up. Wouldn't you know-when I did so, relaxing my grip, things started to make sense?! In loosening my hold, the knot became less taught, and I could see a small hole where the one side had looped and the other end went through. If I moved too fast, in my rush to untangle the mess, that hole dissapeared. But I had seen it-I KNEW it was there! ...Finally. It was undone-and I held one whole, straight chain, which I happily placed around the waiting neck of my daughter.
God is so often that way in our own lives. Our life becomes a mixed up chain of problems and messes, and then we don't know what to do, which way to turn. We try so hard to find those answers on our own-looking to ourselves, our spouses, our jobs, and children.Or, maybe we let God in-just "a little"-only to rush ahead with our own plans as soon as we see a clearing ahead. Sometimes it seems like we have it all figured out too. Then Poof! that space is closed up again, much to our dismay. That will continue to happen until we finally really, genuinely surrender. It is only then that we find the tangled mess is truly gone, and we are straight and whole once again.
