When We Most Need for Our Hands to be Held, We Keep Them to Ourselves.
Insert that girl emoji with her hand raised right here because I am guilty. Seriously guilty. When I most need my hand held, I pretend I don't even have one.
Or I used to. I'm a little better now. I recognize when I need my hand held and sometimes I even ask. And if I'm honest, it has become one of my favourite things in the whole world. Because I know, when someone lends a hand to hold mine, that I am in good hands.
I've actually written an #instaessay (a ridiculously long caption on Instagram, that gets a bit out of hand, and should really just be a blog post) on this very topic before, but it is, hands down, one of the most important things to me.
I've worked hand in glove with a close friend of mine to be able to ask her to hold mine. If I had to be hand-in-hand with someone for the rest of my life, it would probably be my children, but she would be a close second! Even if she has her hands full, she always has time for one of mine. Her honesty often comes in handy. Everybody should get themselves one of her. She's an old hand at teaching me how to ask for help. I have to hand it to her, I wouldn't be a hand-holder in the least if it weren't for her. I wouldn't be me at all if it weren't for her.
On the other hand, sometimes my left hand doesn't know what my right hand is doing and I fail to ask for the help I am so desperately in need of. I often becomes hands-off and I do so hand over fist. But I'm often reminded that I was created for relationships and I won't thrive without them. So I start all over, get my hands dirty, and work hard to gain the upper hand on my "thrive-ivity."
All hand puns aside, there's something you really should know! It's ok to ask for your hand to be held every once in a while. It's also ok to take someone by the hand and give them a guiding hand. Ok, I'm done. For real this time.
Like I was saying, it's ok to need your hand to be held. It doesn't make you weak, or little, or cowardly. It makes you strong, and big, and brave. "Capital B" brave. "Capital B" brave is kind of my thing. If you stick around long enough, I promise you'll see.
Hold all the hands you need to hold in order to take care of yourself. Let your hand be held and offer to hold someone else's. And don't be ashamed of your sweaty palms.
My final piece of advice for you would be to avoid holding hands with any boys unless you're willing to give him your digits. Especially is he's a little handsy. Sorry. Seriously, I'm done.
And because this really is more genuine and serious than I made it seem, I'll leave you with this: For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13
