Open Hands

In other news, the baby can now open and close its fist. Stop for a moment and picture a child, two inches long, opening and closing its hand.

I have been stuck on this image for a while, and I continue to pray that the child comes into the world with an open hand.

How much time do we spend with our fists clenched, grasping, holding onto the promises and blessings we have received? We hoard, out of fear or insecurity, and our tunnel vision narrows to the point that we cannot view the world around us as beautiful and wondrous, only as intruders, trying to take what we have.

When we live with open hands, the blessings that pour into our hearts and lives are then poured into the hearts of others, and the world is a more beautiful place because we are in it. We are passing on our gifts to others, and living the Gospel as I understand it. It's not about our life and amassing gifts--it's about enriching the world and the others with whom we share it.

So I pray for a child with open hands, that it might not spend its life grasping, but rather giving.