There is a story told about a young child playing with a flower vase his mother had left on the table after cleaning. When the mother returned to the room she found her son crying loudly, between sobs he told her that he couldn’t get his hand out of the vase. She tried to help him pull his hand out and pulled and pulled, but this only resulted in the child crying out with pain. His father suggested that if all else failed, then they would have to break the vase, but there was a risk that the child’s hand might be cut in the process, so they decided against it. Then, like all women, his mother had a bright idea and said to the boy, “Now let’s have one more try, but this time I want you to open up your hand and stretch your fingers out straight just like I’m doing and then we’ll be able to pull you free.” “But mum,” said the little lad, “If I do that, I’ll lose the pound coin that dad gave me yesterday.” It seems that her son had the coin all the time and was holding it securely in his tight little fist and wasn’t prepared to let go of it until his parents convinced him that letting go would release him and the problem was solved.

The question we should be asking ourselves is what are we all holding on to so tightly, that it hinders our walk with Jesus?

That flower vase can be likened to the entrance to the Kingdom of God. It is narrow, but quite easy to pass into, but first, we must open our hand to God and allow earthly things to fall away from us. If we keep our fists tightly closed and hold fast to what we have and keep it for ourselves, then we will be unable to take hold of the hand of God when we need him most. We all need to be on our guard, or the things we own and value most, may soon begin to own us.

We all arrive in this world with nothing and we will certainly depart the same way!