Just Be Held

“Hold it all together, everybody needs you strong.”

And with that one line, the song “Just Be Held” had my attention.

That is me in a nutshell. Shelly…wife, mom, grandma, leader, teacher, education professional. Hold it together girl – you can’t let anybody see your mess. So many times I have put on the expected facade to conceal the true, crumbling mess I can often be in private.

Yes, the mess.

I am a girl who struggles with insecurities, anxieties, and at times, faith issues.  It is so strange how those kid-like feelings of “being left out”, not being good enough, or worrying about what people think of me can crop up in an instant.

Sometimes I remind myself of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4. When Elisha asked “What is to be done for you?” she basically said – I’m good. After all, if she admitted she had a need, that would open up one of the most vulnerable, raw parts of her life. No, she’d rather say, “I’m fine” and move along so as to not open up that hurt again.

The “I’m fine” mentality is my go-to move. In reality, I simply want to be held by God. There, in His arms, I am free to utter all the things I would not dare speak to anyone else. When I am held by Him, I can lose control with complete confidence that He has not.

Sweet Hannah had the need to just be held in her moments of despair. This is a woman who desperately wanted a child – and had prayed and prayed and prayed. As she was in the temple praying, the priest accused of her of being drunk because she was in such intense prayer.

15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 1 Samuel 1

And there you have it…Hannah in her great trouble and anxiety and vexation, was being held by her great, gentle God as she poured out her soul. It goes on to tell us in this passage that she went her way, ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Hannah had come to the God-realization which the song “Just Be Held” beautifully expresses: I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just be held.

So take a look at your hands friends. What are you clutching  so tightly that your knuckles are turning white? What is it you are trying to control in your own human will that can only be controlled by God Almighty?

Let’s do ourselves a favor…stop holding on, crawl up in Abba Father’s lap and just be held.

And yes – I am an imperfect mess loved and held by a perfect God!

If you haven’t heard the song Just Be Held by Casting Crowns, take a listen.