Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)[1]
Troublesome monkeys have been known to be caught with a simple trap which plays on their unwillingness to open their hands. A coconut is hollowed out with a hole just big enough for the monkey’s hand to fit in. Sweet rice is placed inside. When a monkey reaches in and grabs the bait, their fist is stuck in the hole. Unwilling to open their hands and give up the prize, the monkey is trapped and eventually caught.
We can learn from their ignorant stubbornness. We’re to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. But we can be fooled into loving the good things of life above Him. God wants us to experience Him as our highest Joy. When we hold tightly to earthly idols, our hearts are trapped and limited to fleeting, temporal joys. We’re unstable and tossed into the changing seas of circumstance. But we need to know God is at work in us to conform us into the image of His Son and to free us into the complete Joy of knowing Him as our Pearl of Great Value, worth all we have.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (Romans 8:28-29)
The ‘good’ God is causing in our lives may require the violent prying away of the sweet rice we clutch in our hands. It may hurt, but it’s for our greater good. It might seem unloving, but as a parent protects a child from harm, God is at work in His children.
For Paul, he needed to learn to not depend on himself. See what he wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;
What’s keeping us bound up in the monkey trap? Do we depend too much on ourselves? What are we afraid to let of go because we don’t think we’ll be okay when we do? Among other things, I’ve needed to let go of self-effort, family, success and peace as the world give it. When I value these things above God, I’m trapped. I can feel discouraged and the flow of joy being drained from my life.
See Peter’s conclusion of this process toward the end of his life: In this (our Living Hope and Inheritance) you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. (I Peter 1:6-9)
When we understand God’s greater purposes for our lives and grow in our realization of His eternal love, we’re infused with courage for the trials we face.
Lord, please continue to show me things I’m holding onto which keep me trapped to this world. Like Peter, may I embrace the trials which chisel me more and more into Your image and reveal the utter joy of Your presence. I know You love me and have my better good in mind. I open the hands of my heart to You.
[1] All quotes from Scripture and from the New American Standard version of the Bible (NASB)
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading.
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