I’m Not Holding On So Tightly Anymore

For most of my life, I held on tightly. I wanted more time. More accomplishments. To help more people. To advocate for more children. To protect more children from abuse. More security. More certainty. I wanted the people I loved to stay safe, healthy, and close. I wanted to protect them from pain, from loss, from bad decisions, and from all the things that can wound a human heart. I also cared far too much about things that, in the end, simply don’t matter very much. Our culture teaches us to value beauty, popularity, money, fame, power, influence, athletic ability, success, and status. We spend extraordinary amounts of time pursuing things that disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. Scripture calls it “vanity”—a chasing after the wind. The older I get, the more clearly I see that it really is. I’m not saying those things are evil. Some can even be used for tremendous good. But they make terrible gods because they were never meant to satisfy the human soul. The only One who can do that is God. As I find myself in the fall—or perhaps even the winter—of my life, something unexpected has happened. My grip is loosening. Not because I’ve given up. Not because I’ve become discouraged. Not because I want this life to end. Quite the opposite. I’m simply beginning to see this life for what it is: a temporary assignment, not my permanent address. For those of us who belong to Christ, Heaven isn’t wishful thinking. It is home. If we truly believe that Jesus conquered death, if we truly believe there is no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more tears, no more sin, and no more separation from God, why do we cling so desperately to a place that was never intended to be our forever home? Jesus never promised that this world would satisfy us. He gave Himself. He promised eternity. He promised that He was preparing a place for us. And that changes everything. Perhaps the greatest freedom for me has come in releasing the people I love. For years I carried the weight of believing that somehow their future depended on me. I prayed, worried, advised, protected, intervened, and hoped. I still pray. I still love. I still show up whenever God gives me the strength and opportunity. But I’ve finally realized something profoundly comforting. God has loved them longer than I have. He loves them more perfectly than I ever could. He knows every wound they’ve carried, every decision they’ll make, every heartache they’ll experience, and every opportunity they’ll have to know Him more deeply. He alone has the power to walk with them every moment of their lives—including the day each of them makes the same transition every one of us will eventually make. Helping my loved ones through to the end of their lives was never my job. It was always His. Turns out, I am not Jesus Junior! There’s only one savior, and I’m not Him! So I’m learning to open my hands. To love deeply without trying to control outcomes. To serve faithfully without believing everything depends on me. To trust the One whose hands are infinitely stronger than mine. I’m grateful for every sunrise God gives me. I’m grateful for every conversation, every opportunity to encourage someone, every chance to love well, to forgive quickly, to laugh, to learn, and to serve. I want to stay exactly as long as God has work for me to do. Not one day less. Not one day more. When my assignment here is complete, I won’t see death as the end. I’ll see it as graduation. I’ll finally meet face to face the Savior I’ve loved but never seen. I’ll discover answers to questions I’ve carried my whole life. I’ll understand things that have puzzled me for decades. I’ll see justice made perfect. I’ll see love without any selfishness. I’ll experience goodness without corruption. I’ll finally be Home. Until then, I hope to live fully. To love extravagantly. To forgive freely. To serve faithfully. To hold this world loosely while holding Christ tightly. Because the older I become, the more convinced I am that the best is not behind us. For those who belong to Jesus… the best is yet to come. One Action: Open your hands today. Think of one person or one burden you’ve been gripping too tightly, and consciously place it into God’s care. Pray, “Lord, they have always belonged to You. Help me trust You more than I trust myself.” One Prayer: Father, thank You for reminding me that this world is temporary and that my true home is with You. Help me live each day with purpose, love well the people You’ve entrusted to me, and release them into Your perfect care. Keep my eyes fixed on eternity without neglecting the work You’ve given me today. May I finish my race faithfully, trusting that Your plans are always better than mine. In Jesus’ name, amen. One Declaration: I will live fully for Christ today, hold this world loosely, trust God completely with those I love, and look forward with hope to the eternal home He has prepared for me. This life is good. Eternity with Jesus is better♥️ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rhondasciortino.substack.com