Learning To Let It Go

When I woke this morning, I had a little extra time for some quiet time reading. As I completed the exercises, I found this quote by Lewis B. Smedes.

"Let God handle those you would like to manhandle in your hate. If they need teaching, let God teach them. If they need rescuing from their own stupidity, let God rescue them. If they need saving from their own crazy wickedness, let God save them. What you need is healing from the infection of malice left over from the open wounds they left in your life."

I thought on this as I drove in to work...going over and over the list in my mind and asking the Lord to show me where I need to practice this truth in my life.

Soon after arriving at the office, I was caught up in the telephone calls and the tasks at hand...and the quote fell to the wayside of my busy day.

Then...as I was driving home this evening listening to a CD on time management and organization called 'Dejunking Your Life"...I heard a story of two monks and a lady at the river.

It seems that there was an order of monks who had taken a vow of silence that lasted each day from sun up to sun down. They were only allowed to speak at night. One morning, two of these monks begin walking into town. As they pass along the river bank, they meet a lady with a large basket of fruit who is trying to cross but there is no bridge. Upon seeing the monks, the lady comments that since they have such simple robes, it would not matter at all if they were to get wet...unlike her very delicate dress.

Though they cannot verbally reply, they nod their heads and agree to help her cross. The first monk picks up her large basket of fruit, while the second monk carefully drapes her skirt over his arm and lifts her so that neither her nor her dress get wet. They both cross the river, set her and the basket of fruit on the opposite side. The lady turns and leaves without so much as a 'thank you'. The monks look at each other and cross back to their side of the river.

Later that evening, once the sun goes down, they are relieved of their vow of silence. The first monk says to the second monk, 'Can you believe that woman this morning? She didn't even acknowledge our carrying her across the river. I mean, my load was light compared to yours. I carried her basket of fruit while you carried her. I cannot believe she was so ungrateful!"

The second monk replied, "No, I had the lighter load. Yes, I carried her across the water, but you have been carrying her all day."

Can you guess what the Lord is speaking to me about today?