Let It Go

We’ve had a couple of possum dramas here in the barn this last week. We got home late one night to find that one of the children had left the loft door open and a possum had taken the opportunity to find a nice place to rest. It was high up in the rafters above the kitchen. I immediately ran back outside with the younger children and stayed in the car while Chris got his gun and prepared to shoot it. I know it has to be done, but I still hate it. (Possums are a real pest here in New Zealand) The kids and I were just praying that Daddy would get it first shot, when the gun went off and there was a loud crash as the possum fell onto the kitchen bench. Angel, our Jack Russell terrier was going crazy during all this. The next day she found a possum in a tree down by the river. Chris ran to get his gun again, while Angel kept it bailed up in the tree. He shot it and it fell into the river. Angel leapt in after it and got hold of it. For the next few minutes she swam round and round, trying to keep afloat as she held onto her prize. Slowly she began to sink, until only her nose was above the water. But she wouldn’t let go! Finally Josiah got into the water and rescued her. We were all laughing at our stupid dog, but it was also a real lesson to me. How often do we hang onto things, refusing to let go, even when they’re drowning us? Worry can do that to us. Anger. Wrong relationships. A stressful, busy life. Sometimes we need to just let go.