Welcome to this week’s online lesson. Catch up on previous lessons by clicking here.
Earlier this week, I (John) was working on research for work ahead of a presentation about ospreys and bald eagles for a Floating Classroom program on the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport. While researching, I came across this cool slow-motion video:
Pretty cool, right?
The point that stuck with me afterward is when the narrator talks about weak or tired ospreys being pulled down by strong fish and drowning. There is some dispute about this type of situation … while there have been cases where ospreys die this way, many people assume it is because they can’t release the fish due to their talons. However, ospreys are known to release fish when attached by bald eagles that want to steal the meal.
So why don’t struggling ospreys simply release a fish before drowning themselves? They physically can — but don’t. There is some mentality that forces them to hold until it is too late. They drown.
As people, we have a similar inability at times to let go of the things that weigh us down, that pull us under, that threaten to drown us. Some of that is fueled by greed, some by guilt or various issues we are facing. Regardless of the cause, it is a fascinating overlay to consider the osprey’s predicament and what we can learn from it when it comes to the issues and baggage locked in our proverbial talons.
Consider what Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV):
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul admits that he isn’t where he wants to be in life yet, but continues to strive toward God’s mission and picture for his life. Consider the statement in the second half of verse 13: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead …”
“Forgetting” here is a tricky word. Those mired in grief or despair — or especially guilt over something they feel they have done (or didn’t do) — may think the idea of simply forgetting our problems isn’t realistic or right or just. However, God doesn’t leave us alone in this struggle to let go of the past. Consider the message within the following verses:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it fear. — John 14:27 (NIV)
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
What are some common threads from those verses? One is that God is encouraging us to turn over our struggles, our baggage, to Him. Secondly, in each of those verses, He is present. God is there for us in our times of struggle, and willing to take the burden for our mistakes, our doubts and fears and moments of tragedy and despair. We don’t fight those battles alone — much like the lesson we talked about last week in the in-person lesson (sorry, there were some technical difficulties in getting the online version done).
What are your thoughts? Are you personally going through something right now that threatens to bring you down? Are you able to relate with that osprey which is grasping onto the fish while it is pulled to its doom? Like the osprey, all you need to do is let go, and let God take the burden.
If you have specific issues with this topic or need prayer over a situation along these lines, please reach out to us at zaktansky@gmail.com
We’ll wrap up with two songs we shared in-person last week, but work here as well as we learn to let go of those things that hold us back and move forward before they sink us.
