Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 9/25/09)

Today’s Devotional Written By An Extraordinary Young Woman Who God Just Won’t Leave Alone: Tracy Koweh

Hold On a Little Bit Longer........ Part II

Hebrews 3:14 (New Living Translation)

14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Earlier this week there was a news story that brought both sad and happy tears to my eyes. There was a husband and wife stranded for about 3 hours in the flooding waters in Ga. The mother was at one end of the rushing water holding their 1 year old son to a tree, and the father was at the other end holding their 2 year old. Somewhere in that 3 hour time span, the father lost his grip and their 2 year old died in the flood.

The part of the story that God dealt with me on, was the mother/child that survived. I can't imagine how tiring and painful it must have been for that mother to hold on to a tree for 3 hours with water rushing and hitting up against her. I can't begin to know the thoughts that ran through her mind. She not only had to hold on for herself but for her child. I can barely stand to be in a line at the grocery store longer than 10mins, so to have to stand and endure such opposition force for 3 hours is unimaginable. The strength, hope, and faith that woman must have had to continue to hold on. The determination and commitment she must have had to not let go. She literally thought, come hell or HIGH WATER, I'm going to hang on until my rescue comes.

So many times in life we don't lose our grip like the father did, we simply decide to let go. We can't see past the rushing floods of stress, bills, health issues, family problems, and lack of desired results to keep holding on. I don't know what happened on the tree with the little boy, but sometimes no matter how tight the Father tries to hold some of us, we all won't make it. Not because God doesn't want us to, but because we won't hold on long enough to get there. We will see the flood coming, panic and began to fight back- - -instead of rest and let God fight for us. We will kick and scream and feel like we are in control, when all the while the waters of life or slowly pulling us under.

Today as we prepare to head into the weekend, let us purpose in our hearts to not let go. Let us decide to hold on to the tree of Life as long as it takes to get our breakthrough, our victory, our rescue. Just as that mother and son clung to that tree for life, Jesus hung on a tree for our life.