With His Hand
Yesterday Laura and I sang hymns at Magnolia Village for Alton’s 90th birthday party—“The Old Rugged Cross,” “Amazing Grace,” “No Tears in Heaven” to name a few. Mr. Herald, I was told, loved “I’ll Fly Away” so it was he I watched as we started to sing his favorite. Mimicking a bird he whipped the air back and forth, back and forth with his hand, flying it gracefully up toward Heaven.
Last night after returning home from Gatlinburg, dropping by to see “Mammie” (Brody would have dropped by to see Phil had “Pappaw” been home) David plopped Brody in my arms at the front door. As I carried him into the kitchen he saw the fan, two to be exact, mimicking them with his hand, just like Mr. Herald had mimicked the bird with his.
Hands—they’re significant. My hand lines, my fingertips tell my story; yours tell yours. Whether you’re old like Mr. Herald and about to die or young like Brody and about to live, God gave you your own DNA. He made us all unique yet in some ways the same. We ALL need to be loved, validated -- accepted by someone.
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by a sixteen year old girl named Jazzlyn Little on the “X-Factor.” When Simon asked if she’d ever posted herself on YouTube she said yes, just one song. He asked how many hits it had gotten and she said five-hundred, to which he responded “That’s terrible!” He then asked why she thought it had gotten so few and she answered, “Maybe they don’t like to watch my videos.” Then when asked, “Is it your singing or you they don’t like?” she answered, “Me.” In her audition interview, Jazzlyn remarked that she loved to sing because she could be anyone she chooses. Her exact words were “I don’t have to be me.” As of today, nine days after the original interview aired, her audition song has had 1,086,011 hits. Whereas L.A. Reid saw Jazzlyn’s first name and thought “star” I think Jazzlyn saw her last name and thought “little” much like most Christians, I believe, thinks God thinks of them.
How surprised Rachel Crowe, a thirteen year old modern-day Shirley Temple was when she was chosen and Chris Rene, just out of rehab was, and “no-last-name” Dexter, a homeless man living off skid row was and Stacey Francis, a down-and-out forty-two year old housewife, whose dad died the first day of “boot camp,” was when her name was called and yes, Jazzlyn Little, a sixteen year old student attending Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral, Florida, whose video now has over one million hits was when her name was called--just five of thirty-two thankful, yet surprised, chosen finalists, as I’m sure the other twenty-seven were also. If they were chosen to compete to win $5,000,000.00 how much more valuable are we to have been chosen by God to inherit salvation, when we hear our names called someday? How much more valuable are we? Just look at the hands. It’s all in the hands.
"See, I have you engraved on the palms of my hands.” Isa. 49:16
Last night after returning home from Gatlinburg, dropping by to see “Mammie” (Brody would have dropped by to see Phil had “Pappaw” been home) David plopped Brody in my arms at the front door. As I carried him into the kitchen he saw the fan, two to be exact, mimicking them with his hand, just like Mr. Herald had mimicked the bird with his.
Hands—they’re significant. My hand lines, my fingertips tell my story; yours tell yours. Whether you’re old like Mr. Herald and about to die or young like Brody and about to live, God gave you your own DNA. He made us all unique yet in some ways the same. We ALL need to be loved, validated -- accepted by someone.
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by a sixteen year old girl named Jazzlyn Little on the “X-Factor.” When Simon asked if she’d ever posted herself on YouTube she said yes, just one song. He asked how many hits it had gotten and she said five-hundred, to which he responded “That’s terrible!” He then asked why she thought it had gotten so few and she answered, “Maybe they don’t like to watch my videos.” Then when asked, “Is it your singing or you they don’t like?” she answered, “Me.” In her audition interview, Jazzlyn remarked that she loved to sing because she could be anyone she chooses. Her exact words were “I don’t have to be me.” As of today, nine days after the original interview aired, her audition song has had 1,086,011 hits. Whereas L.A. Reid saw Jazzlyn’s first name and thought “star” I think Jazzlyn saw her last name and thought “little” much like most Christians, I believe, thinks God thinks of them.
How surprised Rachel Crowe, a thirteen year old modern-day Shirley Temple was when she was chosen and Chris Rene, just out of rehab was, and “no-last-name” Dexter, a homeless man living off skid row was and Stacey Francis, a down-and-out forty-two year old housewife, whose dad died the first day of “boot camp,” was when her name was called and yes, Jazzlyn Little, a sixteen year old student attending Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral, Florida, whose video now has over one million hits was when her name was called--just five of thirty-two thankful, yet surprised, chosen finalists, as I’m sure the other twenty-seven were also. If they were chosen to compete to win $5,000,000.00 how much more valuable are we to have been chosen by God to inherit salvation, when we hear our names called someday? How much more valuable are we? Just look at the hands. It’s all in the hands.
"See, I have you engraved on the palms of my hands.” Isa. 49:16
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