Blog

Anchors and Rafts

Years ago, a very wise person told me “when you say yes to something, you’re saying no to other things.” This phrase has reverberated in my life and heart ever since.

Time. 

Money. 

Emotional band-with.

Each one is limited. Finite.

Even our dreams can have limits, as I learned not long ago.

I recently surrendered my white-knuckle-grip on a dream I had been holding on to for many years. I had spent far too long paralyzed by the unknowns and possibilities swimming in the ocean of the future. After plenty of soul-searching, many conversations with people I trust, and lots of prayers, I finally gathered my courage and relinquished my grasp.

******

We all hold on to things.

Our jobs. 

Our relationships. 

Our dreams. 

Each one is a piece of our identity. Each one is desperately hard to relinquish. We hold on to these things thinking that they’ll save us. That somehow they’ll give us significance or security. Even when we realize they’re causing us pain. 

We justify – This is just a hard season…for three years. Things will fall apart with out me. I‘m just not ready to let go. 

We question – But what comes next? What if something else is worse? Or what if I never find a new [relationship, job, best friend] again? Am I giving up too soon?

So we cling to the very things we need to surrender. We think these things will save us, but they’re actually holding us back. 

And often they are very good. Often, they’re worth holding onto. 

But sometimes, what was once good isn’t anymore. And we hold on because we are scared to let go. We’re afraid of uncertainty. Afraid of the unknowns that come when we’re floating in open water after letting go of our life raft. 

******

In my particular situation, I hadn’t realized that by continuing to cling to this part of my life, I was continuing to say yes to it. And holding on meant that I was saying no to much bigger dreams in my heart. 

My reluctance to surrender this dream meant that I was holding my future ransom without even realizing it.

After making the decision to let go, I finally felt free. Not just because of the warm sunshine splashing on my face, but because of something much deeper. I finally felt like I had chosen myself. And, in a greater sense, like I had finally said yes to God’s dreams over my own. 

I thought I was releasing my dream, but in reality I was freeing myself.

The very thing I thought was my life raft was actually an anchor tied to my leg, weighing me down. 

******

If we are brave enough and liberate ourself from our life raft, we meet new challenges. We realize we’ve let go of an old way of life and have to create new patterns, learn new surroundings, have fewer things or people to fill our time. Just like a swimmer in open water, we begin to panic at the thought of keeping ourselves afloat in the midst of all of the changes.

So we let go of the thing that we’ve clung to and blindly grasp for something else. For security. For certainty. Because floating in the dark water feels life-threatening. Even when it’s only metaphorical. 

But we’re not tasked with staying afloat on our own. We don’t have to struggle.

Even when the water is dark and deep, we’re not alone.

The one we’re meant to cling to is already with us in the water.

The only one with the power to actually save us.

And his name is Jesus.

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.