Even Our Hurt Hands
Each night at dinner we join hands around the table for prayer. Several days ago, Clare, my youngest, said, “Oh Timmy,” as she pulled her hand away from her brother with a grimace, “I don’t want to pray with that hand!” Clare had a splinter in her finger and she was afraid Timmy holding her hand might make it hurt. So, she did not want to pray with that hand.
Smiling and thinking to myself how time to time we all have our hurts that we are reluctant to share with God. We would prefer to keep them to ourselves because they might hurt us more if we placed them into His hand.
CONSIDER after a season of keeping from God the hurts of life, the psalmist loudly proclaimed, “I stretched out my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6). For God responds to our hurts as Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…for I am gentle and lowly in heart…” (Matthew 11:28-29).
Realizing our prayer circle was broken by her hurt hand she said, “Timmy you can hold my hand but don’t squeeze!” And he did hold her hand, and it did not hurt.
Rev. Wendell Mettey
Revised 4/17/2014
