Seventh Word

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

Henri Nouwen wrote, "Dying is trusting in the catcher. To care for the dying is to say, 'Do not be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don't try to grab him. He will grab you."

It's the image of a small child at the edge of the swimming pool, and Dad's in the water, holding his arms out, saying, "Come on, I'll catch you. Don't worry. I'll catch you."
You look at the water, you look at your dad, and you open your eyes wide and jump.

We don't have to try to jump far enough. He's going to catch us, even if we just lean over and fall in. And that moment doesn't have to be just when we die. It's whenever we make a trusting movement towards Him, and the moment we do that, his hands reach out and catch us.
I don't think distance is an issue, because I think there's never a moment when he's not paying attention, when he's not right there.

It might be, too, like learning to float on your back. Your dad's telling you he's got you, that he's not going to let you sink, just take a deep breath and lean back...
It's hard to let go and let your feet up, not touching anything solid, but you try to trust him, even if you're afraid.

I think dying is a little like that - I think there is a moment when we let go of everything else. A moment when I realize God's with me - when I feared he wouldn't be, and I know that He has me, and He's not going to drop me, and whatever else happens, it doesn't depend on me. He's got it under control. So finally, I trust Him, lean back, and let go.