Will You Give God Both Hands?

It happened largely by accident last summer. At a family retreat on the shores of Lake Michigan, I resolved to widen my horizons and plunge into the challenges of adventure with both feet.

So there I was, high above the ground on a ropes course of all places, not heeding the advice of my agile teenage son who had just warned me, “I don’t think you should try this one, Mom.” As soon as I stepped off the platform and on to the swinging plank, I immediately lost my balance.

As much as I have lived my life trying to avoid falling, I realized then that only by falling could I be caught.

White knuckling the rope as I dangled and spun freely, frantically searching for a focal point, I discovered that my guide had not moved. Still on the platform, he reassured me with a calm, steady voice: “Keep your eyes on me. I’ve got you.”

He then directed, “Give me both your hands and let me pull you up.” And deep within my soul, God Himself echoed that invitation.

Will you give me both your hands, Beloved?

Offering Him both hands required me to let go of the rope completely: to reach up and reach beyond my fear. I had already stepped off the platform of trying to hold it all together. Now my challenge was to believe that He would get me to a better place.

Could I trust His strength to come through for me within, where my pain-filled heart had been utterly broken?

He was here, inviting me to acknowledge His trustworthy presence when I had lost all sense of control, welcoming me to embrace that He was and would always be enough.

I reached up, helpless, when life didn’t make sense anymore, and He offered me newfound courage.

When my life spun in disorienting circles, my Guide’s experienced voice reassured me from the other end of the rope, “I will never let you go. Trust me in this.” I felt His strong scarred hands stretch across the gap to enclose mine.

I was lifted and carried. I was held and treasured.

At that ropes course moment in my story, the ground beneath me was no longer solid or sure. But I could sense the planting of a seed of hope and the stirrings within the confusing darkness of a new beginning. In the midst of the chaos, I believed in the possibility that God was somehow fitting together the shards of my shattered dreams. Not yet, but one day, I might find that every single one of the broken pieces belonged and had purpose.

In the quiet of surrender, I listened for His whispers of promise:

In your frustrated grief and longings unfulfilled
For all that is broken and all that has died
Look to Me for redemption.

In My depths reside beauty, goodness, and truth
The way forward is to
Trust Me with you.

I discovered in letting go of the rope that I could grasp an unfailing hope.

And by letting go, I allowed my Beloved to uphold me with His unexpected gifts of freedom and agency.

The imprisoning words “you can’t” and “you aren’t” were carried away by the wind. I was gently restored to the gift of myself reflected in what He had proven to be true. He opened my eyes to the reality that I do not have to give anyone the power to confine me or to define me. In the clearer picture I could now see, all power and all authority in my life belonged to Him alone.

No one defines my identity but God
No one fully knows my story but God
No one stands as my judge but God

But God still reigns
God hasn’t let go
God hasn’t rejected me

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow God fights on my behalf
Knows what I need to heal
And never stops believing in me

Whether others
Diminish the validity
Of my story or not

My story is what God has written
Is writing, All my days I am
Held in His strong and gentle hands

Unafraid and unashamed,
Believing He is
Inviting me to rest both my hands in His

Therefore, I resolved to hold tightly to the belief that no matter my circumstances or others’ choices, God’s plans for me are good regardless.

He holds me close enough to hear His heartbeat; His neverending love embraces all of my longings and all of my fears.

Nothing from the beginning to the end of time can stop Him from accomplishing all that He intends. Nothing and no one can alter my identity in Him.

Nothing.

He will never abandon me, betray me, or change His mind about me. I will always be known as His Beloved.

Always.

Deeply impacted by 20 years of ministry in East Asia, Jodie has a heart to shepherd women who are currently serving overseas and those who are resettling back “home” again. A regular contributor on Thrive’s devotional author team, she loves to use devotional writing to connect with global women. Since returning to the US 7 years ago, she completed a Certificate in Soul Care and a Certificate in Disability Ministry, and is currently working on her Spiritual Direction Certification. Jodie is passionate about offering a safe space for people to hear from God, to experience transformational healing in their hearts, and to become more and more who God made them to be. You can connect with her on her blog, Facebook or Instagram