Thursday, June 16, 2011

Hands

I think hands are so beautiful. Their feel, their roughness, their agility. As a child I remember staring at my dad's hands as he cooked a gourmet meal, played the piano, or as he put his carpentry skills to good use. They seemed able to create, to build anything. His many inventions left me in awe; actually, it became something I expected, that dad could get us out of any messy situation creatively and safely. There was nothing those hands couldn't do. We rarely had to call professionals in to fix things, my dad or Poppa were usually able to use whatever was in the house, campsite or shop to invent a solution. On one camping trip when I was young, my Poppa was able to fix a man's motorcycle clutch because he just so happened to have tools in his truck for aluminum welding! My Poppa's hands, aged and experienced, have been able to create and build over many years for his family. To provide, protect, fix, and comfort. There's something about hands that are exquisitely powerful and gentle all at once.

I am always impressed by capable and expert hands. If we are made in God's image, it only makes sense that we would be able to design and craft so many wonderful things, which, though imperfect, are still beautiful. Human hands are also capable of much destruction. We use our creativity for evil and sometimes it can seem like both our hands are actually better at doing evil than good. Our human hands let us down. But our Father's hands will never let us down. His hands that created the stars and the insects, your heart and my heart, can only create beautiful and marvellous things. They are always ready. They are always able. They are hands that waste nothing. They created the universe out of nothing, and just when we think we are useless, we are used as tools in those hands for a grand design. His hands hold us, carry us, protect us, so we don't have to fear anything, even death. They work for what is good; they are hands of integrity. Powerful and mighty, but gentle and comforting.
Both of his hands are equally skilled at showing mercy
Equally skilled at loving the loveless
Equally skilled administering justice
Both of His hands, both of His hands.

(Equally Skilled, Jon Foreman)

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