What Are You Clinging To?

As a child, I was definitely clingy. You could call me a mamma's girl for sure. I remember my first day of kindergarten as an unpleasant one. After my mom stayed for a few minutes, it was time for parents to leave. I was frightened to be left without my mom. To say I held on to her would be an understatement. It was more like a death gripping cling. The teacher attempted to pull me off as my mom endeavored to hand me over. I still wasn't giving up without a fight. Once my mom got out the door, I clung to the door hinges (as if that was really going to help). When I finally realized I wasn't going to win this battle, my teacher held me for the next 10 minutes as tears and snot dribbled down my face onto her shoulder. Thankfully this was only a one day episode.

I was only 5-years-old at the time, but life can still be scary and disappointing even as an adult. We face difficult situations where we want to hide or find security in something, so we look for things to cling to. They can be relationships, addictions, facades or even our work places. We cling to these things to hide our fears. Unfortunately they are temporary comforts that only cover the underlying issue. When we cling to anything in this world, we will be disappointed. Everything here was created just like us, so to think that we can find comfort in the world would be ridiculous. It is full of its own problems.

CLINGING ISN'T ALL BAD

To cling to something is to stick to or stay very close to it. It is not wrong to cling as long as we are clinging to the right thing. When life becomes burdensome, it has a way of bringing us closer to God or further away, depending on our perspective. Some get mad at God and accuse Him of being unsympathetic. While others, see Him as the solution to their situation.

We read in the Psalm that He is our strong tower and we can find refuge in Him. The Psalmist declared: My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.(Psalm 63:8) From this passage, we learn that when we cling to God, He upholds us. When my one-year-old bumps his head, he turns to me with tear filled eyes and arms outstretched, and my heart goes out to him. I immediately wrap my arms around him and kiss his sore spot. This is exactly what God does to us. But unless we come to Him, we cannot be comforted by Him. There is so much comfort found in God. To know that He, who is bigger and more powerful than our wee circumstance is there for us, brings our soul much comfort.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

How do we cling to God anyway? We can't literally hold on to His robe or sit in His lap. It is done simply by trusting Him. Trusting Him so much that our confidence and hope are completely in Him. Though the storm may rage and though our circumstances look bleak, our eyes look to Him. I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2) God never promised life would be easy. Life is hard! It has many disappointments, heartaches and struggles. We all face our own degree of each. But to those that have Christ in their lives, we have this promise: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

God is longing for His children to turn to Him. We were created by God and for God. He is the Master engineer behind our lives. He is therefore the only solution to any problem we face. Come to Him. Cling to Him. Stay close to Him and you too will be held up by His mighty right hand.