For whoever wants to save his life will lose it ...

This is one of those sayings of Jesus that seems at first to make no sense at all, but rather to be complete and total nonsense. It is totally at odds with the conventional wisdom that if I don't look after number one, nobody will. And if we are alone in the World, if God does not exist or He does, but is not actively at work for good for those who love Him, then it is indeed nonsense.

We have probably all heard the saying “Life sucks and then you die.” Indeed if this life is all there is, then it is not fair, there is very little justice, and in the end any justice that there is, is usually the result of a very long fight! I read recently that in the States the “majority of homicides now go unsolved at dozens of big-city police departments,” and that the overall statistics leave over 35% of all homicides unsolved. Talk about getting away with murder. Perhaps it's no wonder so many end up taking the Law into their own hands. It is of course a recipe for anarchy. It's the same when we try to control everyone and everything around us. But what is a body to do?

The problem is not new. Thousands of years ago the Psalmist was complaining to God that the ungodly always seemed to be at ease and getting away with things. So what, he complained, was the use in living a pure life with integrity. His foot had almost slipped (He had almost given up), until he got back into fellowship with God where the long term view became clear, and in particular where he could see their end in the hereafter. It is this long term view that so often enables the believer to “let go, and let God.”

If there is no God there is no justice, but there is a God, and in the final analysis He will do what He promises to do and that is to right every wrong, as well as wiping away every tear. This being the case, it makes sense to leave the hard things to Him. The beauty of knowing the truth that He is and that He will do what He promised, is that I no longer need to play God. I do not have to fix everything that is “broke.” I do not have to extract revenge for every real and perceived injustice done to me. I am not saying we should door mats, but in the past I held onto things long after my holding on was doing anything but make things worse and make me miserable into the bargain. I have learned that there is a time to get out of the way and let God deal with the circumstance or the other buddy or the whatever. In the process I am finding a lot more peace and a lot more joy. By hanging on I lost my life, but by letting go I found it again. I am so glad it is all true! Jesus is a wise dude!