Held

As we bowed our heads to join in prayer, he paused and asked the church to hold hands. As we prayed, my boy's 8 year old hands barely gripped mine.  And I noticed.  There was a time when his hand clung to mine to find security, reassurance and comfort.  But these hands were growing and changing and didn't seem to need to lean so hard into mama anymore.  I gripped his hand tighter hoping to let him feel how much his mama loves him, to reassure him that I will always be here to hold his hand and join him to pray. His hand didn't grip back but simply let me hold on.  

I thought of a picture that I saw a few days prior of one strong hand holding the frail hand of a grandmother who is fragile and worn from a life lived 89 years. 

Hands that have held generations full of children; hands that have closed in prayer as a faithful servant; hands that have stirred, kneaded, measured and baked day after day; hands that have carefully mended the tattered and torn; hands that have wrung to wash and make new again; hands that have poured - water, gravy, seeds - emptied themselves to give to others; hands that in time have gently laid crossed on the small frame of her lap; hands that hold a lifetime of stories and that are now reaching Home.

I couldn't help but wonder if my sweet boy would one day, in my own frailty, grip my hand.  He is growing, changing and as he works his way through this life, his grip will surely let go and cling again.  But more importantly, I was reminded of our Heavenly Father's grip on our hands.

We cling so tightly to Him when we are desperate and needing His comfort; when we are unsure, unsteady and wanting His guidance; when our faith is as it should be and child-like.  But how often do we loosen our grip, maybe even let go, when we try to do it on our own, in our own strength and by our own way. Yet through it all He holds tight to us.

He never lets us go.

A mama holding so tight, pouring all her love into her child that she prays is attentive enough to receive it...

A loved one holding so tight to a life that is nearing Home, praying hard for strength to let go while holding on to every moment that is left...

This is our God.

He pours His heart out to us, lavishes us with His goodness and grace, never holding back and always drawing us toward Himself.  So that in this life we may know that we are held.

In times of living with plenty and times of want,

In times our hearts are filled with joy and the times we fill with sorrow,

In times we are fully aware of His presence and times we are fully feeling alone,

In times we praise and times we plead,

In times we see clear the way and times we need The Way,

He will never let go.

May we have faith to never let go of His faithful hand. May we cling tight to the Giver of Life - life eternal, death-conquering.  May we know fully that every moment the Truth is that we are held. May we use these hands we've been graciously given to graciously give Christ to others in the time we have.  May we lift our hands high to praise the One who will securely carry us Home when our time is near.

"You hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory... My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." 

Psalm 73;23-24, 26