Dear One,
The Spirit had a word for me this morning. It was one of the ‘speak the truth in love’ variety. Ever had one of those? Accurate, but a tough pill to swallow.
The word was miserly.
Miserly: adj. especially marked by grasping.
Ouch.
Miserly.
A synonym listed in the dictionary was none other than Scrooge, himself.
Miserly: Marked by grasping.
Jenny dear, what are you gripping & grasping? What so tightly holding? Why so measured & metered?
Why? It’s quite simple, Jesus.
Fear.
Is there ever any other reason?
More specifically fear of loss.
I am miserly (marked by grasping) because I am trying to keep from losing something/one. It is a preventative kind of miserly-ness, dear Jesus.
In the face of real or perceived loss, we grip and grasp. We just do. At least I do.
In the last few years, so much has fallen through my fingers. Numerous dreams, hopes, opportunities and plans have slipped right through the cracks or tumbled headlong over the edge. In response, my inner-miser has been roused and the internal gripping, grasping, hoarding and hiding have commenced.
I just don’t want anything else to leave me, is all ….
But what I need to know and understand, and what the dear Holy Spirit showed me this morning is that God’s giant hands are cupped under mine.
And nothing and no one has slipped through His fingers.
He holds it all.
What has fallen from or through my hands now lies safely in His.
God’s not withholding, He is holding with.
That bears repeating.
God is not withholding, He is holding with.
His hands under mine, catching it all.
King David once prayed:
“Hour by hour I place my days in your hand. My life, my every moment, my destiny—it’s all in your hands.”
Psalm 31:14-15
In Your Hands, our Little Life Words of the week.
“I’ve put my life in your hands. You won’t drop me.” Psalm 31:5
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DEEPER DIVE
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Ponder:
- What are you trying to hold onto? Or to put it differently, what are you afraid of losing?
Practice:
- Open your hands and turn them palms up while saying, “in YOUR hands.” When you feel your inner-miser rouse & rise, repeat this motion. Trust that God’s got you.
- For more about “Palms-up” living, please visit my friend Jenny Smith. She’s a lovely and wise soul, passionate about this very thing.
Play:
- Our song of the week is: Your Hands by JJ Heller
Pray:
- In Psalm 31:5, David said to God, “I place my life in Your hands. You won’t drop me.” Make the prayer your own:
- “I place my _____ in Your hands. You won’t drop _____.”
Friend, from our hands to God’s, yes? He’s got us. All our moments. All our days. Therefore, may our miserly selves rest in peace as we “Live carefree before God; He is most careful with [us].” 1 Peter 5:7