Take His Hand

Holding hands is a sweet gesture – at any age. At a young age, I remember holding hands at the dinner table (Dad thought it kept little hands out of the food); as a teenager, holding Mr. Bill’s hand in church (hoping Daddy couldn’t see it from the pulpit); holding a little boy’s hand during a nighttime storm; and, now, extending a grandmother’s hand to Ella when she reaches and says, “Hand!”

Holding someone’s hand isn’t always OUR idea! At times, I was grabbing little boys’ hands rather than reaching for willingly extended hands. I distinctly recall an age when Danny (my oldest) cared nothing about his Mama holding his hand, but crossing a busy downtown street was not the time independence! “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31). He spoke of belief – the kind of belief that is so real, we walk in obedience to Him. How often do we say we believe yet wring our hands in worry, grow anxious in calamity, and seek counsel and comfort anywhere but in Christ? Ouch! Jesus words connect belief to obedience and truth to freedom. Sinful behavior not only has consequences, it enslaves – robs the spirit of freedom. If only little Danny could have understood the freedom to walk in safety when holding Mama’s hand. In the same way, if Christians would take their obstinate hands-of-independence out of their own pockets and walk hand-in-hand (abide) in Christ, we can truly live in freedom of God’s Truth [and ultimate protection]. Whose hand are you holding?