In His Grip

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."~ Emily Kimbrough ~

I love to hold hands.

I think holding hands is one of the most meaningful acts between two people. In holding hands there is no malice. In holding hands, so much is said even if no word is spoken.

You can tell so much about a person by looking at his or her hands. When you hold someone's hand, their entire history - who they have held, comforted, helped - in that brief moment, becomes fused with yours. And afterwards, when you go on separate ways, you become a part of their history and they, in turn, become a part of yours.

I've held hands with many people at different times in my life. Some of them I remember like it was yesterday. Holding hands with someone who means the world to you is a wonderful place to be - sometimes, it is the safest place to be.

To a baby, a mother's loving hand is the most comfortable thing to hold. To a young girl, her father's grip is the most reassuring thing in a crowd. To a woman in love, her beloved's hand wrapped around hers is a wonderful place to be.

It is this way when I hold the Father's hand - through good times and bad - he just never lets go. He is comforter, reassurer, provider, protector, guide, friend, father and so much more. Sometimes, in moments of human frailty, I'm the one who tires of holding his hand, and ocassionally, I have let go. Like a stubborn child who thinks she can do things on her own, I let go of the hand that steadies and guides. But like the loving Father that he is and will always be, and because his eye is always on his child, when he hears my cry, he is swift to come to the rescue, and gently grasps my hand when he sees me stumble, and fall. Each time this happens, I realize how lost I would be if I did not hold on to him. And so I need to remind myself each day, with every sunrise, that the first hand I must reach for is my Father's hand. "Lord may I always remember to place my hand in yours. May I never tire of holding on to you, secure in the knowledge that you will always be there to guide and lead me whatever the road ahead may bring."

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. " Psalm 23:6