Tag: c.s. lewis

Growing up – most if not all of us spent some of our time on the playground and I am going to assume that most playgrounds had Monkey Bars.  The things that looked like ladders, but you had to go across by swinging from rung to rung with your hands and arms…I personally hated them.  I avoided them at all cost.  If I ever did get on them, I would just hang there until I couldn’t feel my hands any longer and had to let go.  I cannot think of a moment where I actually scaled this contraption successfully by my self.  Sad, I know.

But what can Monkey Bars tell us about our now?  About who we are as adults?  A lot actually.  C.S. Lewis, the late Christian scholar, who I admire tremendously – had a great quote: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”

When I read that, it hits me…there have been many times I’ve dealt with pain in life like I dealt with those stupid Monkey Bars.  I held on and wouldn’t let go until I couldn’t bear the sting any more.  Is that really the way to deal with it?  Am I supposed to harbor pain, anger, frustration, bitterness, sadness, malice, etc., etc. like that?  No!  YOU AND I are not supposed to walk through life like that.  We are supposed to let things go.

In Ephesians, Paul speaks on this: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away for you with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (4:31-32).  This principle is hard to swallow.  It is so easy to sit in our anger, bitterness and evil speaking (gossip) when someone hurts us – because most of the time pain comes from what others have done to us.  But we must forgive, let go, and be kind to one another.

We are quickly approaching the New Year – 2016!  I, personally, take new seasons seriously.  I believe that there are things that I have held onto in 2015 that shouldn’t go into 2016.  I encourage you to let some things go as well.  Forgive, be kind, stop the negative emotions from forming inside you.  Let go of that first rung of the Monkey Bars and move to the next one before your hands start to sting.  Before you know it, you will have successfully scaled the Monkey Bars!

Be blessed everyone.  Have a very Merry Christmas!