Tag Archives: Hands

Day 18/31: Hands

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“And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.” Matthew 19:15 (NLT)

Day 18: Hands #writetogether31days

She very delicately held the small, red spheres in her petite hands.  One by one she examined them carefully, rolling them gently between her thumb and finger. Then, as if they were treasured friends, she softly laid each one individually on the bottom of the bucket. 

Children have a special way of seeing the world. That was one of my favorite parts of teaching and of this time spent in the vines. Picking cherry tomatoes with my young grand-niece was a gift and seeing them through her eyes opened mine.

As I stood watching that sweet girl’s deliberate, unhurried way, I thought about how I’d have done the picking. Without really looking at them, I would have plucked those little things quickly off their stems, dropped them carelessly in the bucket, and moved on quickly to get the job done. Is that how you would have done it too?

As He often does, God prompted me to ponder something important through those curious, attentive, little hands: “What am I missing?” 

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’ ”
Matthew 19:13-14 (NLT)

Goodness, I can relate to those disciples! Can’t you just see them? Without really looking at those around them, they’d been picking their way through the crowd all day, moving people through the line to see Jesus. Then these parents show up with their children and the disciples just want to quickly finish up so, they try to send them all away. What were they missing? 

“About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.’”
Matthew 18:2-4 (NLT)

Just as God did with me, He was using a child to open the disciples eyes so they could really see and He wants the same for you, too. “Those who are like these children.” “Become like little children.” What are we missing?

Somehow when it’s been a minute since we were children ourselves, we tend to forget what it was like. Do you see what we, like the disciples can miss? I think this is what Jesus is teaching us. Lay all our adult stuff aside and simply believe. Then we will see things through the eyes of a child of God, loving others, looking for the joy, leading with a giving heart, and reveling in all the wonder of small, everyday things….like cherry tomatoes delicately held in our hands.

Tell ~ 2/31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes

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I’ve had a bit of writing anxiety lately which has caused me to literally avoid looking at my lap top. (Out of sight. Out of mind. Or so I thought.)  I’ve found though, that writing is a part of who I am and I really miss it, so…. I have decided to join in on the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com

Each day in October I’ll write for five minutes on a given prompt.  This is mostly an unedited style of writing  that I’m sure will challenge this “recovering perfectionist”; but hopefully in a good way! Please pray that I won’t quit, I’ll have fun, and that I’ll learn more about myself, writing, and my relationship with God. I’d love for you to follow along with me on this journey! Better yet, join in!

Here I go….Time Starts Now!

 

“Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation.” Joel 1:3 (NLT)

What do your hands tell about you?  Mine have become wrinkled and covered in age spots.  My fingers are not as straight or limber as they used to be.  It’s not surprising though, these hands have worked, nurtured, loved, disciplined, applauded, and wrung in worry.  They tell the story of my life.

There are hands however, that have saved my life!  The hands of Jesus.  Pierced by nails as he hung on the cross dying for my sins.  Those precious hands tell the story of salvation and the greatest love there is!

My hands won’t ever tell a story like that, but I can! Lately,  I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of witness I am to all God has done in my life.  I need and hope to be more willing to share  my journey of Grace with others.  Hands down, it’s the most important story I have to tell!

Times up!

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Hands

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imageOur month with the Poetry Box was quickly coming to an end and I needed one more actvity for the last Friday.  My co-teacher Leslie handed me that idea and it was a fun one!  We created Watercolor Poems.  The students chose a color and brainstormed ideas about what that color looked, smelled, sounded, tasted, and felt like.  They then put their ideas together and created a poem.  Once in the cafeteria on brightly clothed tables the poets/artists went to work.  They wrote their poem on watercolor paper, drew pictures around the outside of the paper to illustrate their poem, and finally painted their pictures in their chosen color.  The room was filled with quiet chatter and the sound of brushes being swirled in cups of water.  It was beautiful!  My favorite part of these Friday get-togethers has been hearing the words, “Miss Cindy, come read my poem!”  Music to this teacher’s ears and joy for my soul!

I love how the picture above turned out.  When I sat down to go through my photos I realized I had taken several of just the children’s hands.  They resonated with me and once I put them together I knew it was the way it was supposed to be.  These are pictures of hands gently creating beauty, hands unsure at first, gaining more confidence, and hands helping and guiding other hands.  A moment captured in time with my camera that expresses what our lives should express.   When we reach out and give encouragement, support, comfort, and love with a touch of our hand, we are giving a priceless gift to those who receive it.  I’ve found though, that it is a gift that returns to the giver as well.  Using our hands to create a beautiful connection with someone, to reassure another who lacks confidence, or to gently guide a person who is feeling lost and alone toward the bright color of friendship, is when we are truly doing God’s work.  Bill Withers said it best in his song, “Lean on Me”. He sang, “You just call on me brother, when you need a hand, we all need somebody to lean on.”  Whether in the school cafeteria, our workplace, out in the community, or inside our home we have the ability to reach out and touch someone in a way no one else can.  When we do lend a hand, we create a moment where pain, sorrow, and problems are made lighter.    Is there someone who needs to lean on you today? Just reach out your hand, “tell them you understand and help them carry on,”  because lending a hand adds color where there is dark, melody where there is quiet, and verse to this poem called life.