Grandpa, some ninety plus years old, sat feebly on the patio 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, grandpa, 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.
Grandpa 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, as well as 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 and raw, 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, as well as
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 fits 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 with my hands He will lift me to
His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of GOD."
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
reached out and took my grandpa's hands and led him home. When my
hands are hurt or sore, or when I stroke the face of my children and
wife, I think of grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and
held by the hands of God. I, too, want to touch the face of God and
feel his hands upon my face.
When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to
you ...... That's all you have to do There is nothing attached....This
is so powerful....Just send this to seven people and watch God's answer
to prayer work in your life. Do not stop the wheel, please....Of all
the free gifts we may receive, Prayer is the very best one ...... There
are no costs, but wonderful rewards ...... Let's continue praying for
one another ..
A Prayer
G*D, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am
asking You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy.
Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your
ability to work through them.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them
understanding, patience, and strength as they learn submission to your
leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by
revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with
You.
Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your
courage. Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its
hold over my friend's life.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders
and friends to support and encourage them.
Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around
them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it.
I ask You to do these things in GOD's name.
In Love, Your Friend
Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something GOD
would do.
Thank you to my friend who sent this to me...
Shalom!