The Hands of God

Back in March of 1987 I was working for an accounting firm. It was the middle of “tax season” and my work life was about as demanding as it could possibly be. Every year at this time the same thoughts would creep into my mind: I have to get out of here, this is crazy, no one should have to work this hard, there must be a better way and others. My imagination must have really taken over because I had a dream that was so vivid, moving and inspiring, I still relive it after all these years.

It was short but powerful. Everything was black; there was no background. Then two hands appeared. The hands were very similar to the insurance company that uses the prop “you’re in good hands…” I looked at them as they first appeared before me; they grew very large and then I was sitting in the middle, being held. My mind heard the phrase “You are in the hands of God” and an enormous peace that flooded over me was indescribable. I looked and saw only hands. The wrists melted into the black background. I could not detect any arms or body attached to the hands. Three days later, (through all the tax returns) I still felt the peace. The pressure that I had been going through, seemed to become meaningless. Work was something I did, it no longer ruled my life. I was enveloped in a protective cocoon and the usual angst couldn’t touch me. Still, I had questions.

The one that kept repeating itself was “Why did I have such an awe-inspiring dream when things were not really that bad right now?” My logical mind just could not fathom it. I had been through much more demanding stuff in my life, why this dream? Why now? I had no answer. I accepted it with graciousness, but I had no answer. Years passed. I still had no answer. Finally, after mountains of rationalizing, I began to understand the dreams meaning. It started with the unraveling of the limits that I was placing on the dream: timing, current circumstances, pressure of day-to-day life and detachment.

Every book that I had read on interpreting dreams and their meaning had to do with where one was in life; it is a reflection of all that is going on around you. That was the smoke screen. This dream had nothing to do with what was going at that time; it was much grander in scope. I needed to become an historian and I needed to live a little more. Meditation on how events unfolded, how things always seem to work out and how bitterness did not poison my mind played a large part in revealing the true meaning. Two years after my husband passed away and I went through the metamorphosis of becoming me all over again, it dawned on me. I still have my sanity, my sense of humor and a kind of special appreciation of life...even after this. Yes, I must be in the hands of God. How else could I have come so far?

So, I look back on the dream now with a very special appreciation. I did not grasp the depth of its meaning when it happened. Although for a week I felt as though I was a changed person. It was a “lifetime” dream. Now, suddenly everything falls into place. All the suffering through my childhood melted away. This was something that had to be, and the Hands were there. The fears and anxiety of struggling with college and subsequent professional life dissolved. Everything that was my life had been stripped away and yet I felt peace. This is omnipotent power. Knowing a power greater than what one’s own efforts can produce defies description. I have felt it and I know it is all around me and it gives me peace. As I detach from the events of life and enjoy the essence of being, everything is as it should be without much input from me. Where will all this take me is anyone’s guess. I am confident that this is the right road; the direction will be apparent at the right time. Every need will be met as the dreams meaning materializes. My burden becomes much lighter now. I need only look for direction and to point my efforts, the rest requires only patience and allowing the Hands to smooth out the wrinkles. I realize too that I am not the only one. We all are in the Hands of God. It is so much easier when we believe that.



E Rossopoulos
July 23, 2003