NearnessSample

Aron Ralston famously went hiking by himself in Utah and had his arm trapped by a boulder. For five days, he was alone with no hope of rescue. With no other options, he amputated his own arm to escape.

Ralston’s story is extreme, but it mirrors a spiritual truth: sometimes, life pushes us to places where human strength, logic, and planning simply aren’t enough. It’s not physical boulders that trap us—it’s fear, pride, loss, or shattered expectations. And like Ralston, we come to moments where the only way forward is surrender—letting go of what feels essential in order to truly live.

Abraham faced a similar test when he left everything familiar to follow God in the wilderness (Hebrews 11:8). Paul, while imprisoned, encouraged others to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). Jesus, in Gethsemane, surrendered His will in the face of suffering (Luke 22:42). Each leaned into trust, not control.

Ralston's rescue didn’t come with ease or clarity. It came when he acted decisively in the face of helplessness. In the same way, faith often begins not when we feel strong, but when we finally acknowledge we can’t do it alone and need God’s help.

What might you be gripping tightly today? Sometimes freedom is found not by holding on— but by letting go and surrendering to our loving God.

Today, ponder this: What are those things that you are holding on to tightly? Have you surrendered these things to God? Do so now in prayer, talking through each of them to God as if to a friend in the knowledge that He is more than that.