I was reading a Christian biography this weekend, and the guy whom the biography was written about served in the army soon after World War II and spent some time in the jungle. He explained how the natives would catch small monkeys to sell to foreigners as pets. They would take a coconut and cut a hole in it, making sure that the hole was just small enough for a monkey to barely stick it’s hand through. Then they would squeeze a couple of rocks through the hole and leave the coconut out on the ground. A monkey would come along and pick up the coconut and shake it. As soon as the monkey heard the rocks rattling around inside it, the monkey would squeeze it’s hand through the hole and grab hold of the rocks trying to pull them out of the hole. However, since the hole was too small for the monkey to pull it’s hand back out while still clutching the rocks – the natives could just run up and grab the monkey. All the monkey would have to do is to let go of the rocks and drop the coconut, but it wasn’t about to let go of the rocks – it’s curiousity was too strong. The monkey would be able to run away and scramble up a tree if it didn’t have it’s hand stuck in the heavy coconut, but it couldn’t escape while still clutching the rocks…it was trapped by it’s own curiosity.
I thought how much a picture that is of many Christians. They refuse to let go of things they don’t want to get rid of in their lives and they wonder why they are always falling prey to satan and sin. In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer urges us, “…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” That’s why the Apostle Paul was able to say, “…I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ…” (Philippians 3:8) He knew that holding on to ANYTHING else would only slow him down or even trap him.
Once we become a Christian the ONLY important thing in our life is FOLLOWING JESUS. Everything else is just secondary, and NOTHING should be more important than pleasing Him. We too often get so caught up in the pleasures of this life that we refuse to stop doing certain things that are keeping us from truly knowing Christ. We find ourselves like the poor monkeys – trapped because we refuse to let go. It’s time we realize the danger of holding on to that which will never satisfy. I’m sure if you could explain to a monkey that the thing rattling around in that coconut was just a couple of rocks, it would let go and drop that “trap” in a heartbeat when it realized it was not worth losing it’s freedom over. And NOTHING in this world is worth risking or destroying our relationship with Jesus Christ over. Paul’s main purpose in life was to “…gain Christ…”. He knew NOTHING was more valuable than that! What are you trying to hold onto that is keeping you from having that life-changing relationship with Him?