And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blesserd them.
Mark 10:16 NIV
I love to wonder. When I look at everything God has created, my heart sings with a sense of joy, and I feel totally at peace. Outside my window, I can see tiny birds, tall silver birch trees, hills, mountains, sunsets, and stars. The sky is always different, and the world is so beautiful.
But sometimes I’m in places where I can’t see out of a window or I’m surrounded by concrete and steel. Then I look at my hands. They’re always with me, and they always amaze me. I use them all the time, without thinking, and I can forget just how wonderful they are until I have a paper cut or a splinter or I break my wrist or need surgery. With my hands, I write cards, type on my laptop, drive my car, sew, plant seeds, wrap gifts, tidy rooms, touch someone’s hand, pour juice, stroke a child’s face, or tie a bandage around a knee. Almost everything I enjoy doing depends on my God-created hands. I pray that I’ll never lose the ability to use them.
Jesus used His hands every day. He laid healing hands on hurting bodies, broke bread to feed hungry crowds, lifted people up, held them safe, wrote in the dirt, hugged tiny children, washed sore and tired feet, turned water into wine, and touched the untouchables. Then one day, those hands that healed and scattered blessings were roughly bound. Those loving hands that healed and helped were split by cruel nails. But even His bleeding and hurting hands kept on blessing, giving us the gift of forgiveness and pushing open the door to eternal life.
What about your hands? Draw around your hands. Inside the outline of one hand, write down everything your hands can do, such as preparing meals, writing, sweeping the floor, cleaning, ironing, driving, creating, playing, gardening, working, and dressing yourself. Fill the outline of your other hand with all the different things your hands do to bless others: sending a card, making a pie, gathering a bunch of flowers from your garden, pushing a wheelchair, sewing a dress for an African girl, knitting a snug scarf for a homeless person, leaving a generous tip, etc.
Then, pray with your hands. Turn them upside down, as you give all your worries and concerns to God. And then hold them out to receive God’s blessings.
How will your hands share God’s love today!
Notes of Joy © 2017 Pacific Press Publishing Association