MARCH 14, 2026

   “‎All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” 

― H. Havelock Ellis

DEUTERONOMY 23-25

16Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(24:16)

MARK 14:51-72

60Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

63The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

JOURNAL 

Last night I stayed up too late watching clip after clip from the war with Iran. Missiles, headlines, commentators speculating about what might happen next. Before long I realized I had been pulled into projection and worry. My mind was running scenarios and imagining outcomes about things that are completely outside my control.

This morning I was reminded of something simple. That is not my focus today. Letting events that I cannot control shape my heart, my mood, and my actions today would be foolish. “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” There are things I must release to God and there are things I must hold tightly. Faith. Presence. The responsibilities right in front of me.

Reading the account of Jesus before the high priest in Mark is almost unbearable. The Messiah, perfect and blameless, is accused of blasphemy, mocked, spit upon, and struck. As a parent I cannot imagine watching something like that happen to my own child. If I were in God’s place I know what I would want to do. Lightning bolts would have ended the scene immediately.

But God did not intervene.

That silence reveals something powerful about love and trust. Sometimes love does not look like stepping in and stopping the pain. Sometimes love means allowing a path to unfold that is larger than our instinct to protect.

As a parent there are times when I must intervene and shield my children. But there are also times when my protection can become a problem. There are moments when stepping in too quickly prevents them from experiencing the place where God wants to meet them.

I hate that part of parenting. Everything in me wants to fix things, to rescue them, to smooth the road ahead. Yet I know that if I become the constant protector and solver, I risk creating dependence on me instead of dependence on God. And that is not the goal.

What I want most for my adult children is not an easy life and not even constant success. What I want most is for them to know God deeply. I want them to trust Him when things do not make sense. I want them to recognize and trust the Spirit God has already placed within them. If they learn that, if they learn to trust God with all their heart and listen to His Spirit within them, they will have something far stronger than anything I could manufacture for them.

So today I hold on to what matters. Faith. Trust. Presence with my family. The work God has placed in front of me. And I let go of the rest.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

- Proverbs 3:5-6