He felt as though he was being pushed into a comer, so great was the pressure from his longstanding aches, pains, worries, anxiety and loneliness. But as this was happening he could almost see that between himself and his problems were two hands - the Lord's. The next time he took part in the Eucharist the first hymn that was sung was -Father I place into your hands...the things that trouble me”. Some time later he remembered one occasion when he saw a potter’s hand surrounding a piece of clay preventing it spinning off a wheel. It was a picture of the Lord's hands surrounding his life.

At this point in his life, when he felt so unable to cope, he began to realise that he had one of two choices to make. Either he could keep refocusing on his problems or he could let go of them into the Lord's hands. It boiled down to a matter of trust. Left to his own devices he felt as though he was unable even to do this. He needed the Lord's help. He also realised that this choice was not just a one off event. He needed to make it continually. He began to experience that when he focussed his attention onto the problems he began to get worse but when he focussed his attention onto the Lord's hands he was more at peace.

Finally he remembered some of the last words Jesus spoke on the cross 'Father into your hands..' (Lk 23:46)

Fr Tony Ashcroft