Let Go of the Eggs

One year during our family Easter egg hunt, I set out to trap one of our kids. Oh the joys of being a father! I planned it with meticulous care and feeling confident, I put the most beautiful egg inside a small mouth canning jar and buried it securely in the ground.

It worked perfectly! Right out the door, Easter basket in hand, our little Kelsey spied the egg and reached in and grabbed hold of it. I bet you can guess what happened. That’s right, her little hand fit in the jar perfectly but grasping that nice round egg, it wouldn’t.

Initially, I was giddy with excitement as I watch her, egg in hand, stuck in the middle of the yard. She struggled mightily to get that egg out of the jar. This is when I first understood how stubborn a three-year-old girl could be!

She pulled. She tugged. She wrenched on her poor little wrist, but the trap stayed firm. She soon became angry and started crying but not once did she ever think of letting go of that egg.

Sadly, she was so worked up that by the time we got her to let go of the egg, her hunt was essentially over. (Guess I should have thought my plan through a little better.)

While she was too young to learn much of a lesson, I was not, and have thought a lot about this experience over the years. I have often pondered over the things that I am too stubborn to let go of. I think of the things I am missing out on as a result.

I’ve had a bad habit of holding a grudge. Perhaps you do as well. I generally avoid people that have offended me and as a result have missed out on many a friendship. I’m getting better as I get older but this is something I continue to work on.

Christ taught us exactly what to do when we find ourselves in these situations:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. …For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43–44, 46–48).

It’s not an easy task but, as we continue in our efforts to do better, we can improve. We can become more perfect, more Christ-like. We can let go of the eggs that are holding us back, and progress along our eternal path.