Empty Hands

Training for Today: Cross-train for 30 minutes

Devotion: Empty Hands

Take a look at your hands. As parents, think of all of the activities that our hands help us perform. We wipe away tears. We brush hair. We apply bandages when necessary. We hug, squeeze, and comfort. We tickle. We clap them to cheer, and pat on the back to congratulate. In our roles as parents, our hands are an extension of our desire to nurture and care for our children.


One of the most difficult and painful thoughts I’ve had to face is the idea that my hands are now emptied of the other children I believed should be in their care. And somehow my empty hands lead to an empty feeling in my heart. Have you experienced that feeling of emptiness?

Let’s not be afraid to answer that question. But, let’s answer it in the presence of our loving God. Run to him. Tell him of your feelings of emptiness. Let your Savior be the one to fill you back up to the point of overflowing. God the Father emptied his hands of his one and only Son – willingly! He did that to make us all his own dear children. He wipes away our tears. He comforts us. And, he promises us that, through his Son, our hands will embrace our little ones again in heaven!

While we are still on this earth, let’s not forget the other blessings that God has put into our hands. Let’s not forget that God might empty our hands because he needs them to fulfill another task that serves his kingdom. Let’s also not forget that God often empties our hands only to fill them with an even greater gift – the knowledge that our children are now safely in his arms:

“They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15-17).

If my hands were not meant to wipe away the tears, surely my heart rejoices to know that God’s hands have already dried the very last one.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when my feelings of emptiness cloud my ability to see the rich blessings you’ve given me. I praise you for emptying your hands to send me a Savior. Fill me with your love, your grace, and the knowledge that your almighty hands will wipe away my tears. Amen.