Empty Hands

 I have a crucifix on the wall of my room.  A lot of people are turned off by such an image, for one reason or another.  But I am not.  One reason is that the person on the cross, Jesus, in this instance, is empty-handed.  All is gone from his possessions, his power to do and live as he pleases, his stuff.  He is naked.  A lot about loss or in his case, letting go.  It recalls my focus on the process of the spiritual journey.  It is a lot about surrendering, letting go, becoming empty.  “Abandon yourself,” as Bill Wilson, the founder of AA would say.  Most of our addictive, debilitating behavior has to do with holding on.  You might let go of a relationship, a job, a substance, but that still leaves you with you, unchanged on the insides.  Pinned to a cross you cannot change much of anything anymore.  But then comes resurrection, a new freedom and a new happiness.