Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I
had laboured to do: and, behold, all [was] vanity and vexation of spirit, and [there was]
no profit under the sun
(Ecclesiastes 2:11).
We have each been given two hands. With our hands we
greet strangers with a friendly handshake, we open doors on buildings and cars, we pick
things up and we put things down. With our hands we embrace what is dear to us, and with
our hands we push away what we do not like. But two hands are all we have, and they will
only hold so much. So we must choose what we will hold and of what we will let go.
We come into the world empty handed. Many things will pass through our hands as we learn
and grow. And as we grow, we are bound to find some things that pass through our hands
that we do not wish to let go of. We embrace them and decide that we will hold on to these
things while continuing to try out new things.
But there comes a time of letting go. We may choose to hold on to what is most pleasing
and let go of those things that do not bring as much pleasure. Nevertheless, we cannot
hold onto it all.
It is obvious that by hanging onto some things that we will miss out on some others. We
might even become afraid of what we will miss out on and never really hang on to anything,
only to discover that we let something of value slip through our fingers.
We are continuously letting go of one thing while clinging to another. It is kind of like
musical chairs in some cases, as we quickly move from one chair to the next, ready to
settle into one chair but cautiously moving forward. And we hope that when the music stops
that we will have what we want.
But God gave us two hands--only two hands--why not more? Like anything else, God has given
us what is needed and therefore we can say that it is because we do not need any more than
two. But and if He did, think of all the extra things we could hold on to. Think of all
the things we could try to cling to while at the same time clinging to our Heavenly
Father.
But even with two hands, perhaps we can hold on to the Father and also to something else.
Yes, and indeed we do. But what is it we try to hold on to, and is it meant to be held on
to, and can it go with us into God's Kingdom? Consider what things we hold on to and then
consider how far they will go--will they make it to Heaven?
Perhaps if we could truly let go of what the one hand hangs on to that is of this life, we
might discover what it was meant to grasp. For while one hand holds tightly to the Hand of
Christ, the other would be holding the hand of someone who needs Christ. And as we hold
that person's hand and draw them toward the Lord, he will grab onto His hand and turn ours
loose. Then his hand will be empty, as will ours, and we then can grab onto the hand of
another to continue the process.
Consider what you can hold onto that you can take to Heaven--it is the hand of another who
would come to know Christ once we choose to release our grip off our wants and this world.
Embrace the truth, and your hands will hold more in Heaven than they ever could have held
on this earth.
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