The Touch of Grace

When did you have a hard look at your hands, palms up and palms down recently. Probably the time you got your nails done if you're a woman. The talk about the power of tongue, mouth and heart, we've often heard on positive as well as in a negative sense. But rarely do we   pull the hands  into the scene to talk about. But Max Lucado did. If you have read my earlier blog posts you'd have by known that I'm ardent fan of the author for I've even a post titled Max Lucado and I. I wrote that soon after I started reading his book Just Like Jesus,which I'm referring now. In the book, he has a chapter titled, The Touch of God, where he talks about the power of hands.

In his words, " All of us learned early that the hand is suited for more than survival- it's a tool of emotional expression. The same hand can help or hurt, extend or clench, lift someone up or shove someone down."

He further goes on to write, " Oh, the power of our hands. Leave them unmanaged and they become weapons; clawing for power, strangling for survival, seducing for pleasure. But manage them and our hands become instruments of grace-not just tools in the hands of God, but God's very hands. Surrender them and these five-fingered appendages become the hands of heaven."

"Wow! How powerful are his words. How powerful can our hands become, if only we could manage them well. I'm aware of the power of the tongue, the untamable organ that swirls and twirls inside the mouth, small in size, big in boasting and lashing if let loose. "It's an unruly evil, full of deadly poison," wrote James in James 3:8. I'm quite aware of it and that's why often bow my head and pray
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 141:3)

I rarely gave a deep thought to the value of our hands until I read this chapter this morning. Lucado explains the healing touch of Christ on the leper who approached Him to be healed. The man, counted as untouchable in the eyes of society and requiered to shout, "Unclean" whenever he saw anyone in his viscinity desperately starved for human touch.

If he had a mirror, the disfigured sight of his face would have made him not to want to touch even his own face Yet, something inside inside him yearned to be touched, stroked and loved. He knew he could dream of such thing, but never would that come to reality. So, he did something which he wouldn't have attempted eversince he was banished from his village because of his cursed sickness. He crossed the barrier and reached out to the One whom he had heard of being a great teacher and a healer. Probably the Messiah everyone was waiting for. He must have doubted whether Jesus would stop and hear him if he called out to him from afar. He feared he'd be chased out like a dog if he went ever near the crowd. But he wanted to give a try, one and only he'd ever have. And it worked. Jesus did not only stop to hear him, he stretched out His hand to touch him .

The man felt the power of healing flowing all over his body in  a soothing warmth. It was a divine touch which brought his deaden nerves alive and man began to feel the gritty stones and twigs under his feet.
Oh, the power of a godly touch.Our touch may not have a healing power to activate deaden nerves like the Jesus' healing touch. But it sure has the power to bring smile to a saddened face. Imagine what and what we can do with our hands to brighten another person's day. We could take up the phone and call someone you feel need to hear your voice. You could take the pen and write a note to someone needing encouraging words. You could bake a cake or make a dish and take it to someone who is convalescing or to a mom who is taking care of a sick child.

So, what did I do after reading the chapter? I did take the phone and called my sister-in-law in UK who is living alone in her seventies. She has had a hard life, losing her husband, my brother, just seven years into marriage and left to raise three daughters under the age of six. She had done a great job in raising them into three beautiful women, now in their 30's and 40's. Knowing she'd appreciate a call,  I phoned and spent some enjoyable time talking to her.

Later, I went to feed my friend's cat in the opposite apartment. This weekend we're catsitting Bachi, the adorable black cat of my friend Trish. Usually petted and pamperd by my friend and her husband daily, Bachi is sure to miss them caresses and hugs. So, I made it a point to spend some time in stroking Bachi's belly, which she thoroughly enjoys and made her happy. Yes, I did use my hand to bring joy to my sister in law as well as my friend's cat Bachi today.

Along with that I cooked for my family, using my hand to cut the meat, chop the vegetables, adding the spices and making a delicious meal for them to enjoy. Now that I'm aware of the blessings I could bring to others with my hand, I'll remember to use it more. Normally I'm not someone who's comfortable in hugging others. It doesn't come to me natural to greet others with a hug. Maybe I'll make a point to do that more if that could bring some joy or comfort to someone. In the same time, I don't want to do it for the sake of doing.  I prefer to be genuine than to fake and kid others as well as myself. Christian walk is about truth and sincerity. Jesus never faked to draw a crowd. But He did have a strong word for Pharisees and religious leaders of that time. He called them "Hypocrites!"

Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. There are so many untouchables in my world too, lonely and unloved for some reason or other. I pray that I'll remember to reach out and touch them with love and respect despite their status, race, belief which usually bar us from touching them.