 Have you ever paused in your busy day to take a look at your hands? Sounds kind of silly, but perhaps this story will help put it into a whole different light.
THESE HANDS
(Author Unknown)
An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," he said in a clear strong voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you, sir, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK?" I explained to him. "Have you ever looked at your hands?" he asked. "I mean really looked at your hands." I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
Then he smiled and related this story: Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life:
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle.
Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friend’s foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And He won't care about what these hands look like but what they have done. What He will care about is to whom these hands belong and how much these hands have helped others. With these hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.
No doubt I will never look at my hands the same again. I never saw the old man again after I left the park that day but I will never forget him or the words he spoke. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children or my spouse, I think of the man in the park. And I thank God for my hands.
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If you haven’t done so already, please stop for just a moment and look at your hands. Wow, they do tell you a story don’t they, perhaps several stories. As I looked at my hands just now, I was taken back to my ordination to the priesthood. The Bishop took my hands in his and held them up about chest high. He looked me in the eyes and said: “From this day forward, these hands are to be used for only blessing others and never for cursing or harming anyone.” Those words have come back to my mind countless times over the years. Every time I want to raise an angry fist at some other driver who just cut me off on the road; every time I want to clench those hands into a fist in anger of what someone has said or done; and so many other times…those words of the Bishop have faithfully come to my mind and pulled me up short of acting on those thoughts.
So with that in mind, I will leave you with those same words for your hands: “From this day forward, these hands are to be used for only blessing others and never for cursing or harming anyone.” We all have a lot of miles on our hands...may they always be used for the Glory of God!!
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