Welcome back, you belong here.

I love fixing things. The chair above (the one on the right) is the make-up chair I bought our daughter Canela a year ago or so (the one on the left needs some serious help too!) Canela is a make-up artist, has thousands of followers on YouTube, has monetized her channel, etc. etc. etc. You can see more here.

So you can understand how tough it was when the chair broke the first time, and the second, third, fourth, fifth. I think this chair has broken about 10xs in less than a year (Made in China, sigh). My point is not whether I should have bought a stronger seat or why it broke, the point is that like a good father, trying to save us some money (about $40?), I’ve been trying to fix the chair for a looong time. Even yesterday, I spent 30minutes fixing the chair, trying this and that, replacing this part just to see another leg break or another anchor pop out, etc. etc. The chair is done.

I’ve tried to fix the chair over and over again. Until today.

I’m letting go of the chair and finding another way.

Maybe I’ll get a chair at the goodwill for $10 that’s stronger and more durable, maybe we’ll get a whole new make-up set-up for Canela, maybe she’ll stand! I don’t know! The point is it’s time to LET GO OF THE CHAIR DAVID! You’ve done EVERYTHING you can to fix the chair, you gotta let it go.

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As you can imagine, this chair has been a metaphor for my life recently. I’ve been trying to hang on to things lately out of fear even though things are broken. I mean at work. Without going into details, the chair of my job is broken and I know it and everyone else knows it and I’ve been trying to fix it over and over again but it’s beyond repair. It’s no one’s fault, the chair is simply broken and it’s time to move on.

Move on to what? Well, like with the chair, move on to other ideas, to new possibilities, to a different way to look at things. I’m still amazing at fixing things, the fact that the chair keeps breaking is not a reflection on my ability to fix the chair, I’m actually pretty darn good at fixing things (I just fixed our microwave door last week!). The point is you have to know when it’s time to move on and I believe it’s time to move on from where I’m at and seek the next adventure.

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Yesterday when I was still trying to fix the chair and after it broke a-g-a-i-n, I began to laugh. I laughed and laughed and laughed at how persistent and hard-headed I can be in the name of love and saving a few bucks. I laughed and then I cried because like all of us, I want to provide for our children, to give them the very best, to save a few bucks when money is tight.

But what God is saying is – it’s time to move on son, let go, you can trust me, I will get you another chair. It might look different, it might be something you haven’t thought of, but I will provide. And it doesn’t mean you’re no good, or you’ve failed at fixing things (something I struggle with), it just means the chair is broken and it’s beyond repair, it’s time to move on.

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I wonder what is your chair? What is the thing in your life you’re hanging on to out of fear, love, safety? What could God be doing behind the scenes that requires you letting go of the chair? Letting go is not a one day, one size fits all kind of thing. Letting go is never a formula, it’s very personal, and often filled with HUGE pain and emotion. But still, the process for us all is much the same, letting go requires listening to the signs, checking with others, never doing it alone and most of all courage and strength.

Thank you for being here.

grace to you,

Trig