Stay in God's Grip!
  • Home
  • Todd's Blog
  • Remember Me When
  • Contact

 While in God's Grip!

The need for open hands...

2/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Trust in him at all times... pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
~ Psalm 62:8
In his book, "The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life" Henri Nouwen writes:

“Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.”

Many of us live our entire lives with our fists closed, unwilling to be vulnerable.  The line, "Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands," reminds me that in order to invite others, we must be willing to extend our hands to others.

I think of the times that I have heard, and even used the excuse myself, that God must have "someone else," in mind who could do this better.  Clenched fists are more than a sign of anger, they are also a sign of unwillingness to learn.

Years ago I met a wonderful saint who shared these words, "Offer God your imperfections, and then see what happens."

She was right.  We all carry in those clenched fists, our vulnerabilities, brokenness and mortal ways.  It is through those experiences and our hands that the eternal God of creation becomes visible to us.

Each day we are invited to present, not just our open hands, but our whole lives to the Lord!

Our joys as well as our sorrows, successes and failures, our fears and our hopes.  By keeping our fists closed, we limit our hands, and lives, from being available and able to do what God is requesting from us.  

We are called to do so with our limited means, our stuttering words and halting expressions. In this way we will come to know in mind and heart the unceasing prayer of God’s Spirit in us. Our many prayers are in fact confessions of the times our hands are clenched, but they are also confessions that enable us to perceive the merciful presence of God.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2020
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Rev. G. Todd Williams lives in the Houston metro area and is a Hospice Chaplain at Essential Hospice, Webster, Texas, and is an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastor.

    He serves as the Stated Supply to Westminster Presbyterian Church, Galveston, Texas, and holds a Masters of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

    His book, "Remember Me When..." is available through Chalice Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and a number of other outlets.  ​“How do you talk to a child about death? Start here. This beautiful book helps contextualize loss, and provides a beautiful memory to share with the family member who will be left behind.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways

    Archives

    May 2023
    February 2023
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Todd's Blog
  • Remember Me When
  • Contact