The other day I discovered a pile of ribbon and colored string, pretty things that one of my kids had bunched up and shoved behind a bed. I’ve never quite figured out how yarn and similar items can knot themselves up so well.
As I patiently extracted a piece of dark ribbon from the rest, I vaguely thought about some of the stresses in my life. There was a certain amount of similarity between the knotty mess before me and the difficulties I face.
For one thing, it’s easier to untangle my emotions when I focus on one strand at a time. For another, there is almost always one ribbon that winds and knots things up more than the rest. For me, that ribbon is fear. When I can extract it, all my other problems are simpler to understand and easier to solve.
And so when life is knotty and complicated, the first task is to calm myself and identify exactly what I am afraid of. Then I tug a little here and unwind a little there, until I pull the strand of fear free, and hand it over to God. That alone makes life less messy, and easier to manage.
