Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way,
take up your cross, and follow me.
If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.“*
The idea of
Living with my Hands Open,
Giving my life up for Jesus’ sake,
Creates a longing in my heart, mind, and soul…
This kind of living feels and looks
Free
Joyful
Trust-filled
Light
Beautiful
Present
However,
Living with my Hands Closed,
Hanging on to my life
With clenched fists,
Is how I often live out my moments…
Even though I don’t want to
Hands closed, fists clenched
Is my default mode,
My control mode, even though
I’m never in control of anything…
Really
This kind of living feels and looks
Limited
Disappointing
Distrustful
Heavy
Dark
Distracted
Today, I began my day
By physically opening my hands,
Opening my hands wide…
This feels vulnerable,
But we can and should be vulnerable with Jesus.
This feels risky, but also full of possibility.
Walking our moments with Jesus,
with our hands opened wide,
provides ample opportunities
of meaningful possibility.
This kind of living
creates a longing on my heart, mind, and soul…
May we all attempt to live out
Today’s moments,
With our Hands Open…
* Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT)
© 2023 Brooke F. Sulahian
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