There is an anecdote of the Far West that carries a wonderful lesson. It appears that a party of hunters, being called away from their camp, left the campfire unattended, with a kettle of water boiling on it.
Presently an old bear crept out of the woods, and, seeing the kettle with its lid dancing about on top, promptly seized it. The boiling water scalded him badly; but instead of dropping the kettle instantly, he proceeded to hug it tightly—this being a bear’s idea of defense. Of course, the tighter he hugged it the more it burned him; and the more it burned him the tighter he hugged it; and so on in a vicious circle to the undoing of the bear.
This illustrates perfectly the way in which many people hug their difficulties to their bosoms by constantly rehearsing them to themselves and others.
Whenever you catch yourself thinking about your grievances, say to yourself sternly: “Bear hugs kettle,” and think about God instead. You will be surprised how quickly some long-standing wounds will heal.
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord… (Psalm 25:15).
How hard is it to let go of our difficulties? On our own, it is nearly impossible. However, with God’s help we can let go of them and let God handle it. That does not mean the problems will all evaporate. It does mean that we can rise above them with grace, joy and gladness in our hearts. We can turn our difficulties into blessings with God’s help.
So, let us release the boiling kettle of grievances we clutch, and hug God ever so close. Then our arms will be around the solution instead of the problem.
Hugging Heaven,
Z gardener
Good Morning Garden 
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