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"And they heard the sound of the
Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and
his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God .... Then the
Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are
you?'" (Genesis 3:8-9)
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Curled
Fingers
Michelangelo's famous 16th
century frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome include
that memorable scene of two hands almost touching (see left). The
one hand has a relaxed wrist and slightly curled fingers while the
other reaches out quite decisively with the forefinger seeking to make
contact.
The latter is the hand of God;
always extended. The former hand belongs to us; casually indifferent
and wondering whether to touch or withdraw.
The image surprises us.
Humanity, just a little lower than God Himself, lacks enthusiasm to
connect with Him. Meanwhile, the Father extends Himself as we
ponder our level of interest.
Will we open our hand?
The image portrays us
altogether too accurately. We extend our arm in the Father's
general direction, vaguely and distractedly aware of His Presence, but
remain reserved and a little closed. For good reason.
We intuitively know that to
seize the hand of God means to hold nothing else. To grasp Him demands
a complete and utter focus on Him. But we want so much else --
autonomy, control, power -- so we curl our fingers slightly or tightly.
Jesus defined eternal life as
knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3) -- the intimate knowledge
that comes through contact not proximity. Thus, Michelangelo's fresco
expresses not just his strong artistic capacity but a fundamental
challenge to our timidity and half-heartedness.
The ordinariness of much of
our Christian experience arises not from the Father's aloofness but our
hesitation, our curled fingers.
May we find ourselves a little
more open-handed this week, ready to reciprocate the Father's reach and
release our reservations. Freedom will replace our fear and folly.
In HOPE –
David
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