Every good gift comes down from above; from our Good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children, if we would but ask of Him. These are the things we must hold on to. Everything the Lord does is good and everything in your life that is of the Lord, that is born of God, is good.
We can get a glimpse of good things on the earth when we look at little children; they are born into the world under sin, but for a season, they can teach us about holding onto good things, for their angels in heaven always behold the face of our Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10). Jesus told us that we must become as little children, for only as a little child can we receive the good things God has for us.
A child knows peace and pure joy, faith and trust. A child knows love. All of these are gifts given to children from God above. They do nothing to earn it, the Lord just blesses them with these wonderful gifts. But, as a child grows, they are exposed to evil and, before you know it, they “outgrow” all of the good things of childhood. Peace and joy begin to get crowded out by worry and anxiety, faith and trust soon give way to doubt and even cynicism. Even love can begin to seem more like an illusion; a childhood fantasy, rather than the reality of this life.
Sure, there are plenty of things you could hold on to; things that did not come down to you from heaven but are the result of living in a fallen world, surrounded by less than perfect people. Things that are not from God, things that are not good. But, the Lord commands you to abhor evil, to put it away from you and not make it a part of your life. Then something beautiful happens: the more you put evil away from you, the more capacity you have for good things in your life. You can find your way back to the peace and joy you had as a child before you ever learned about evil. Your faith and trust in God’s care and provision for you will once again find a home in your heart and mind.
To top it all off, when you put away evil, you make room for love. As a child, you knew love long before you could speak. Get back to the good things God has given you. And hold on!