"Letting Go"

Matthew 5:21-24, 38-48

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? 


In Eugene Petersen's version of this text in The Message he says, "in other words, Grow UP! You're kingdom subjects, now live like it."  I kinda like that... quit taking yourself so seriously, quit worrying about what every single person does or says or doesn't do or say to you.  Love everyone who shows no love. Pray for those who turn their backs on you.  If you come to receive God's grace during communion, but are holding grudges against someone... go find that person and say, "hey, let's let it go." And hug that person. Embrace a new path with that person.

So much easier said than done, but so true. It relates to last week's passage about teaching AND obeying the commandments.  It is important to let go that which holds us back from being our whole selves.  Not forgiving people doesn't hurt them, it hurts us.

And so we have the drums, the inner beat of our heart, tha-thump tha-thump, the ringing in our ears, the sound of our rhythmic breathing.  We are all instruments, sounding our souls. If you don't think you connect to the visceral sounds of the earth, the ancient, tribal sounds... you just might change your mind after you sit for a while in the presence of drums. Drumming is an ancient practice that puts us fully and wholly in tune with our souls. Even deaf people feel the beat. Drums are able, possibly like no other instrument, to connect us to one another.

Once I was part of a drum circle. Some people in the circle I liked, others I tolerated. But within the span of a couple of minutes, we found a common rhythm together and it was like my soul connected to God, to earth, to all of life. Why? Because I let go of that which held me back and just let the drumbeat steer my thoughts, my heart, my life.  

How does God offer to be the drumbeat of our souls every day? Do we let God in so that we can let go?  What are some real and tangible ways we could better do this? Email me or comment below.