Hands

They say you can tell a lot by a person’s hands. Time had turned skin that was once smooth and supple, into a maze of lines and wrinkles. Arthritis had settled into her knuckles that caused stiffness and pain. She could no longer spend the hours she used to, knitting blankets, hats, and scarves for her friends and family. Now she could only manage a few minutes here and there.

She used to love working with her hands creating things. She still did. But sometimes the pain would be too much. When she was younger, it was bread, pies, cakes and other baked goods for the neighborhood. People said she made the best sweet treats in the county. As she grew older she fell in love with quilting. Her sewing machine seemed like it was running from morning until night. And now, knitting.

But age had slowed her down.
As she ran her fingers over the lines in her palms and traced the outlines of her knuckles, she thought of all the things she had made over the years. She prayed that she blessed others with those things. Prayed that maybe one of her quilts brought comfort to a cold soul, or one of her hats warmed a pair of ears on a chilly night. She prayed that her loaves of bread filled empty bellies.

She prayed that what she created mattered. Because she wanted to matter. She didn’t want to live a long life not having done anything that didn’t matter to anybody. She wanted her life to have meaning and purpose. And so, even though she might be slowing down, she wasn’t stopping.

She wasn’t worried. She knew her Lord would be with her. Because her strength didn’t come from her hands. It came from His.

“So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:21,27

The desire to create is in all of us. In the first chapter of Genesis we read that God created. He created the heavens and the earth, light and dark, day and night, the earth and the seas, plants, trees, all kinds of vegetation. And God saw that it was good! He created the seasons, the sun, moon, and stars. He created the beasts of the earth, livestock, and every creature that roams the face of the earth. And God saw that it was good!

God created mankind, us, in His own image. So, doesn’t it stand to reason, that we would have that innate desire to create as well? We got it from our Father. It is in you. There is something inside of you that cries out, “I want to do something with my life. I want my life to have purpose…to have meaning.”

“I want to matter.”

And so, we go to our jobs, we work, we make our money, we pay our bills, we raise our children, we save for retirement, we buy stuff, we take vacations, we love, we grieve, we live.
We try to make our lives matter.

God calls us to great things, because He is great! Chasing after life, means life. Chasing after death, means death. “He does great things in us so He can do great things through us.”

It is in you to create. It’s up to you what that will be. What are you using your hands for?

What do you create?
Joy?
Praise?
Disciples?
Influence?
Service?

Pain?
Secrets?

Nothing?

Are you intentional about how you use the hands God has given you?

The place God has for you, He doesn’t have for anyone else. No one is more uniquely positioned to have influence where you are, than you…to point others to Christ where you are, than you…to love the people around you, than you. You are where you are for a reason. You have the abilities and talents you have for a reason. You are the only one who can embrace those talents and have the faith that they are enough to meet the challenges that God calls you to take.

Trust your Creator.
Pry your fingers open.
Turn your hands over and keep your hands open. You never know what the Lord is going to fill them with. Commit all of you to the things that He is calling you to. Trust Him.

Because God created you. He created you in His own image.
“…and behold, it was very good.”

Dear Father, thank you for creating me in your image! Help me to use my hands for good. Show me how to use the gifts and talents you have given me to further your kingdom and to show those around me how awesome you are! Amen.