Reflection for January 15, 2023

Have you ever been asked to maybe go out of your comfort zone and try something new? I remember a certain prayer service where the leader had us participants ‘look intently’ at our hands! As we studied them, we were supposed to reflect on those times we brought help and healing to others using our hands. We were also supposed to think about times when we had caused pain or destruction using the same hands. While these are very good questions, I remember that I just couldn’t concentrate, so I started looking carefully at the lifelines and scars and veins and calluses. I thought about two particular fights that knives and I had (not people, but knives…the knives won!). I thought about calluses from work camps in WV PA, and MD and building homes for people who are poor over the past 35 summers. I saw lifelines that some say point to fame and fortune and time of death (?) And I saw the ring on my left hand that reminds me of a most important commitment I made over 34 years ago. You see, the prayer activity really did allow me to focus and pray about my own particular hands and the stories behind their uniqueness. Sometimes going out of our comfort zone can make us aware of things we would not have normally thought about. In this New Year, take a few steps out there and see what Jesus might be telling you. And while you’re at it, take a look at your hands and see what good they can do for others. I”LL BE PRAYING FOR YOU!