Holding With an Open Hand

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:25-28

The one thing that is consistent about life is change. I am in a time of life where things are changing daily. I have friends who have recently lost their spouses and parents, and friends who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer. My elderly father has begun to experience frequent medical complications, my children are completing their college degrees and their lives are changing direction. My husband and I recently became grandparents for the first time. We are growing older…

I fear being alone in my old age. My kids grew up and left or are leaving home. There's no promise my grandchildren will live close to me or have much relationship with me. There is no promise my husband will live to a ripe old age either.

Life is fleeting, and we don't know the length of time we will have with anyone. Life or rather death interrupts the grand plans we have for the future, and it often arrives at the most inopportune time. 

It is with an open hand we must hold those we love. We desire to claim ownership of our spouse, our children and grandchildren. We cannot. We can lay no claim to them as "ours" because they are only temporary residents in our lives. We forget this. We forget because we don't want to accept it. We want to say they belong to us because it gives us some sense of being in control.

We are not.


Hold on loosely to everything and everyone in this life and cling tightly to God. Our relationship to Him is the only unchangeable one we will ever have in all of eternity. He is all we truly need. I know I will have to remind myself of this many times over the coming months and years. You will too...