An Open Palm
A message of trust
Maybe you’ve heard about the monkey trap before. It‘s based on the idea that refusing to let go of something you want can get you stuck where you shouldn’t be.
A further application is that it’s not possible to receive something in your hand when the same hand is wrapped tightly around something else.
That’s one of the issues with trusting God; keeping your hands open means He also gets to take from your open palms the very thing(s) He gave. Or at the very least, it means being willing to let Him take what He sees fit, trusting that He’s a good Father, and that when He takes, He’s making room for what He’s going to give next.
It means not clinging on to anything more than you do Him.
If this image is not starting to bother you yet then maybe I have not painted the picture well enough. I’m not only talking about money and material possessions.
Think “Abraham and Isaac” for a minute:
An only son, a precious relationship, a career, your reputation… God can, and lately, I’ve found, God does ask for our Isaacs. Sometimes, He’ll come through at the last minute with a ram in the bush, but other times, that dear thing will meet the blade and fire just as God asked.
When done right, sacrifice is terribly painful — but it is powerful.
If you think I’m trying to encourage you, I’m really not, I’m trying to encourage me.
I’m hoping, with my palms open and my eyes squeezed shut, that by the time I open my eyes, I’ll find my favourite marble still there, but I’m trusting that even if He takes it, I’ll love what He puts there in its place.
For now, I’ll keep my eyes shut, hold my breath, and resist the urge to close my hands around my gems and my plans.
Finally, the wait… the painful wait… but I remember Lazarus, and how he was dead for four whole days before Jesus showed up. Yes, “When He’s four days late, He’s still on time.” (It’s a song.)
Selah.
