Today was such a pretty picture. Father Sky sketched a pastel blue sky and filled his winter sky sketch with small white clouds. The birds were enjoying the sunshine this morning, singing happily, composing a euphonious yard symphony. I filled the bird feeders up under the supervision of a fat little pine warbler. He just sat on the bird feeder pole next to me curiously watching me with his glossy black eyes, handsomely dressed in his yellow and olive green plumage. I apologized for calling him a goldfinch yesterday.

Looking out the window late afternoon I caught Mother Nature stroking her watercolor brushes across the skyline. She chose a palette of Georgia peach shades for her sunset, painting the horizon in pink, apricot, and orange watercolors. As I watched the sun’s magnificent painting come alive she added a pale pink wash of color to the clouds resting above to the horizon. Mother Nature dressed the sun in a blinding sterling silver pageant gown and the sun walked down the sunset stage on the arm of Father Sky. Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight, tipped his tall top hat to Mother Nature, and quickly left to wake the moon and the twinkling stars. The day ends in a blaze of purple and periwinkle and the pageant of night begins.

My cousin sent me this quote today — “If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full,” Francis H. Burnett. I’m wondering today what defines us and our life, what makes us travel through life as a giver, what makes others travel as a taker. Some travel with open hands, others travel with closed fists. I have friends whose hands and hearts are always open to those they know and those that they don’t know. Sometimes sharing a full heart is just as meaningful as filling the hands with needs.

We know that God’s hands are always open, ready to offer us grace and unending love. Psalm 145:16 reads, “You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” God is so generous with his blessings, providing for our needs without reservation. We have to have an open heart to accept God’s blessings, be willing to give him thanks, recognizing that everything we have comes from him. We have to learn to realize God is in control. We have to trust in his provision even when we have doubts and don’t understand his answers to our prayers.

God wants us to have open hands by being compassionate and sharing what we have with others. Deuteronomy 15:8 states, “Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has.” Living with open hands allows us to give and to receive, gives us opportunities to share our time and talents with others, expecting nothing in return. We need a spiritual acceptance of God to truly live with open hands, a willingness to surrender our lives to his control, to accept God’s plan.

Jesus told his followers to trust God to provide what they need. Matthew 6:8, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” When we pray, put our hearts in God’s open hands, we’ll have peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you hold your hand closed …nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives.”– Biddy Mason