Thoughts on surrender….
I have always thought of the passage in Matthew when Jesus calls us to be fishers of men to be one about evangelism or the call to ministry. Now I think it is a call to surrender. We heard a sermon on this in church today. Surrender; holding things loosely. I'm so bad at that. It is just so hard. You think you have let something go just to look down and find your hands greedily clutching something else as tightly as they can.
The Parable our pastor told was one about an Indian beggar on the side of the road. The beggar is standing there as a grand procession passes by. The procession builds into more and more extravagance and as each part passes by the beggar believes it must finally be the pinnacle. At last at the end of the seemingly never ending procession is the great King riding on top of an elephant. As the King approaches the beggar is overcome with anger because he feels that life is so unjust. Why does this man get to be King and have all this glory while he stands there a beggar? So he shakes his hand in furry at the king. To his surprise the King stops, dismounts, and walks up to him.
The King asks the beggar, "What is in your cup?" The beggar replies " seven grains of rice. It is all I have in this world, and tonight I will eat it, and then likely die of starvation."
The King looks at the beggar and asks, "Give me the rice." The man is astonished that a king with such riches would rob him of the last thing he has in this world. So he bargains. "Please don't take them all, I will give you only three." So the King agrees and takes the three grains of rice and leaves.
The beggar is heartbroken, angry, and filled with disbelief. Until he looks down into his cup and sees three pieces of gold in place of the three pieces of rice. And all he can think is, "Why didn't I give him them all?"
This struck me so deeply. I am clinging to grains of rice. They won't sustain me, but they are all I feel I have. I can not imagine giving up the last few things I am holding to. But is it really that I think those measly grains will sustain me? Maybe. Or maybe it is that I don't know the King who stands before me, calling me to trust Him. To open up my shaking, clutching hand, and let go. After all hasn't he promised to sustain me? Do I not believe him? I want to.
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