— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
In a world of independence, self-sufficiency, strong going and no signs of weakness, it is hard to imagine myself as an adult being pictured holding the right hand of my father.
You might find the picture cute of a mother holding her daughter’s hand or even more so the rough, strong hand marked by years of labor of a father holding the hand of his son, when so many sons have problems with their fathers, but deep in your heart this picture may hurt, as you did not experience the loving hand holding yours on your first day to school, or experienced the hand as pulling you along paths you did not want to go and into situations you never wanted to be in; a hand that did not let you go when you needed it to.
How come that this image of God holding my right hand still has its attraction when I am 60 years old? Maybe being beyond the zenith of my life, crossing more valleys, feeling less strength in my own legs when cycling, having to let the young ones pass, realizing the fragility of a joyful life, even the fragility of a not so joyful life, the attraction of a strong hand holding my right hand has become more attractive again.
There are so many valleys in our lives when we long for a firm hand to lead us back out onto the open meadows, or the hand which holds me in the darkness of the moment, just feeling that someone is walking with me, trusting the strength flowing from His to my hand and body. But the experience of the beauty of your hand being held by a strong hand is not limited to the moments of need or anxiety, as you can see in the joy and pride of the faces of the young children holding the hand of their heroes when walking into the stadium.
God holding my right hand interrupts us right-handers also from just going on doing our own things and allowing God to be God in our lives.
But then His hand does not cling to me, I am also allowed to run off and soar on wings like eagles (Is 40:31) as I trust and remember the warmth of his hand, comforted by the thought that I will be able to return to the open hand any time as He is faithful and has engraved my name into the palm of His hand (Is 49:16).
Am I open to give Him my right hand again? Can I believe in the hand of God stretched out to close His around mine telling me: “Do not fear; I will help you.” (Is 41:13)?
In this new year, I wish all of us this childlike faith and trust, and honest moments when we can just feel His hand.
God, do not withhold your hand from me when I feel weak and weary, let me find comfort in the hand that created the universe and was pierced for me. God, let me touch you’re the tip of your hand when I lift my hands in prayer and worship. God, hold onto my hand when I go astray and lead my back to your pasture. Amen
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 