Hands!

I find hands fascinating. I always have.

I remember many church services as a child where I would sit and inspect my parent's hands. More recently I discovered the effect of holding holding my hand up to a LED and tracing my veins as far as I could along my arm. I have a scar near one of my nails - but I have no idea how it got there. And a nail that is a weird shape - but it didn't used to be. I also have a callus that has been there since about Grade 7, and currently have two scars from a blisters that are healing (a carrot chopping incident a few weeks ago), and faint scars down my thumb from falling down a hill.

The creases, scars, moles, cracks, wrinkles, freckles, calluses and fingerprints all tell the story of a life. Of a person who was designed in the image of God. Of a totally unique and precious life intended to glorify the one who made it. They tell of pain and of joy, age and youth; of countless pages of notes written, of plants tended, instruments played and of cars fixed - because that grease never quite comes off. They tell of sports games, paper cuts and fights; of dinners prepared and dishes washed. They tell of hard work! And sometimes they of accidents that were never recovered from, of skin conditions that keep you hands in pockets or sleeves pulled down, or hands that have have not been used much or perhaps have not been of much use. And they are beautiful because they tell YOUR story.

Ephesians 2:10 says " For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)

How are your hands being used and what stories do they tell?