Hands

Boy did my hands take a beating today. As I was driving home from work today I finally felt the cut, blister, and burns that encompass my hands. All from doing the work I love, preparing and serving meals to those I work with and the children I work for. The facts of how I got the injuries aren't important, but...what does matter is where my thoughts went next. Years ago I had a devotional book on feet, each day's devotion was 15 minutes long and included a foot massage pretty awesome. Each day I read new scripture involving the importance of feet and reminded me that I should give thanks to God for the feet He provided me with.

I found myself asking, how often do we praise God for our hands? The hands that allow us to raise up praise to the King, for the psalm 47 says,
"God Is King over All the Earth
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!" The same hands that allow us to work to provide for ourselves and our family. The hands that extend to greet others, the hands that feed us, the hands that help us drink. I don't know that I've ever thanked God for the hands he's blessed me with. My hands that allow me to reach out to my nephew and niece and embrace them. My hands that hold them safely as I snuggle them. My hands that allow me to provide food to 100 people every day. My hands that feed me goldfish as I type. Thank-you Father for the wonderment of my hands. Thank-you that despite the blister, the burns, the cuts my hands will still function. May I never forget that You gave me these hands, you fashioned these hands in your hands. Thank-you father, for your hands...your hands that took the nails and were pierced for my sins. Your hands that hold me still as I struggle and stumble to grow closer to you. Amen.

"So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63:4