|
If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
-Psalm 139:9-10
Two weeks ago, I took some time off work and I was able to spend a lot of time with the boys, especially the youngest. He’s blessed that his mother works from home and was also one of our fine JCPC preschool teachers. Their mornings are filled with learning and skills. One morning, my wife pulled out the paper and his egg-shaped crayons for coloring time. I sat with him on the floor and helped him arrange his materials. He had trouble holding the fat green crayon upright and make a mark. I gently placed my hand on his to help him draw a swirling pattern. And then a square. Then I let go.
That’s when he surprised me. Instead of drawing his own new shape, he put his own back into mine and pulled me back to the paper and waited. So I helped him draw a triangle. Then I let go. Again and again, he moved his hand back within mine and back to the paper. He seemed to delight in seeing what he could do with my help. He took comfort in my gentle guidance and what we produced together. Even as a child, he could appreciate the deep mystery and magic of being a part of something he couldn’t yet do on his own. He didn’t want me to draw for him. He didn’t want to draw for me. He wanted to collaborate and create together.
The psalmist reminds us that God’s hand can guide us, even from far away. We can collaborate with the creator of the universe. The hands that shaped galaxies and comets and formed you and me from star stuff can and will guide our hands, if we place our trust and curiosity in God. Imagine the care, the growth, the healing, the work, and the beauty we can create when we place our hands in the creator’s. When you pray this week, pray with your hands open and ask God to take them and use them. Imagine what we can do.
|
