Monthly Archives: February 2018

Posted on

The Prusik knot

The Harder I Hold On, the Faster I Fall

It’s the story of your life right now, huh?.  The more I hold on, the more that I fall (and fail).  Well pardner, you need to quit holding on with your own strength and put trust in something you don’t fully understand.

Take a look at this knot.  It’s a prusik knot.  IT WILL HOLD YOU and keep you from falling.  It’s a friction knot climbers use here in the mountains.  The knot will hold you,……….but you can’t hold it.  See it’s made to slide up and down a main rope.  Let go of the knot and it holds tight!  Grab the knot with your hand….. and careful, it starts sliding.  I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense.  My body and brain so afraid of heights is telling me to “hold on with all my might”!  So I grab around the knot……. and fall.  When I let go, I stop falling.  It’s very difficult to tell my “afraid of heights” brain to let go.  But that’s what it takes.

Well, here you and I are on our spiritual journey.  We fall by holding on instead of letting go.  Hard to tell our “afraid of heights” soul that we must trust God isn’t it?  I mean we feel that if we can hold on, we can better our situation.  WE can be better at handling our lives than say God Himself??  Whoa there!!  Did I just admit something?  I must be holding on …….and falling/failing.

Let’s go a little deeper here.  What examples can I give of holding on instead of trusting God and letting go?

Ever feel that you are not “good enough” to be loved by God?  You are holding on, better let go.

Ever think that God doesn’t have time for you?  Better let go.

How bout those times you think that Jesus wouldn’t, couldn’t, shouldn’t die for YOUR sins?  Turn loose, or you’re falling.

Now here’s one……… you think that you’ve been “good enough” with your life so you shouldn’t get a disease, face financial problems, have stress.  In other words, God should be good to you based on how you’ve been acting.  Really?  You are holding on too tight.

It’s possible to hold on too much to our religion (our church activities, or our”good and great habits”) that we actually miss the true Christian relationship with Jesus.  The life filled with mercy, love, and forgiveness.  Better let go and let God.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  Matthew 22:37-39

I know that climbing to the top of a mountain requires a lot of energy.  I have to pull and step and climb one step at a time.  Little did I realize that getting to the top requires me to “rest” and stop and let go of my rope so I wouldn’t fall or slide back down.

It’s the same with our spiritual journey.  It takes energy.  We climb one step at a time, one day at a time. And………….we let go.  We let go of our own strengths (and weaknesses), so that we can completely trust our Lord and Saviour.  He keeps us from falling.  He keeps us.

Let go!

Lord, there is so much I don’t understand about You.  Shoot, I don’t even know how this stupid knot works!  But it does, and so do You.  Help me to let go.  To let go of how I try to live this life,…….. and to fully let You take over.  With my heart, soul, and mind I want to let go and let you hold me.  It scares me.  So help me with my doubts and fears. Thank You Lord!  AMEN!!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

Posted on

The Beehive

God is my Rock, my Fortress, my Place of Safety

That’s the entrance to one of my beehives here in Colorado.  It’s gotten down to -9 degrees this year and they still survive.  It’s just so amazing to me that this colony of bees can survive such harsh bitter cold.

Notice that they made the entrance to their hive even smaller.  They take propolis (bee glue), and form a more perfect fitting entrance for their colony.  The original hole is too big.  It allows too much valuable heat to escape.  They constructed a smaller entrance.  It still allows them to venture outside on warmer days (50+ degrees).  But they seek refuge inside on the cold days.  The hive provides them with a warm place to stay.  Also it’s a place they can get nourishment……..honey!!!

How do they stay warm?  They form a big cluster of bees the size of a basketball and continuously vibrate their wings which gives off heat.  The bees on the outside of the cluster,(where it’s coldest), gradually work their way back into the middle of the cluster, (where it’s warmest….around 70 degrees).  It’s a continuous journey from outside, to inside, to outside, to inside the cluster with several meals of honey along the way.  The queen stays in the middle where it’s warm.  Get this…… this spring when it’s time to begin laying eggs, she’ll tell the ‘thermostat committee’ of bees that it needs to be 90 degrees.  The bees vibrate their wings and increase the heat for the queen and her eggs.  Amazing how all this comes about.  Now you’ll just have to trust me on it being 70 to 90 degrees inside that ball of live honeybees……….unless you want to stick your own hand in there!

Their beehive is not just a place to store honey.  It’s there refuge.  Their place of safety and comfort.  It’s home!

Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.  Psalm 71:3

I have a place that I can go in times of stress.  I go to my Lord and Saviour.  I call out to Him in prayer.  I sing praises to His name.  I search for a quiet place to BE with Him.  He gives me nourishment for my soul that’s as sweet as honey.  He also “warms” my soul as I travel in and through this “cold world”.

Maybe you’ve been on the outside too long and now it’s time to work your way back into the inside.  Back into the warmth of a continuous relationship with God.  This Christian journey is not a one time event.  It’s a continuous daily walk.  Jesus has provided us with a way to experience life to it’s fullest.  We live in this world, but spiritually we have Him to provide us with shelter, a place of rest and refuge,………. and spiritually………..HONEY!!!!

Lord, BEE with us as we travel in this world.  Help us in our everyday activities.  Provide us with opportunities to share your love.  Thank You for BEING my refuge and shelter.  Thank You for our blessings (honey).  Help me and all my friends reading this……… Help us to BEE what you’ve created us to BEE!    Amen!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher