I wake up each morning feeling weary and beat up.

Each night as I thank God for all the wonderful prayers answered I feel full and alive. I feel hopeful. I feel that everything and everyone I prayed for already had been taken care of.

That’s my kind of faith. Gratefulness. Thanks in advance for all I believe God can and will do.

I let go.

Somewhere between the sweet peace of sleep and the rising of the sun things change.

In my awakening I am weighed down by what I had just laid to rest in the arms of God.

But, I let go.

Somehow, somewhere before dawn I must have picked them all back up again.

But, I thought I let go.

In a dream last night I discovered the answer.

I saw myself saying my prayers. I placed all of my thankfulness in God’s hands and suddenly in slow motion as I drew back from the image I could clearly see several threads running from his hands back to mine. For each item I had given him there was a string attached.

“But, I let go!” I said in my dream.

“You held on,” a voice said.

I looked again and sure enough each person, each worry, each disease or financial burden I turned over to God had a string attached to it.

I gave God the problem but in reality doubted the outcome.

I gave God my finances but held onto the fear of losing my home.

I gave God my family and thanked Him for healing all of their needs, but

thought deep in my heart little would change.

“What you put down and walk away from, you leave.” I heard.

I call myself a believer, but everything I give to God, I take back by the rising of the sun.

There are strings attached to my gratefulness and prayers of thanks.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

“Father, I place my life in Your hands!” (Luke 23:46).

I let go. No strings attached.

Bob Perks