What Is In Your Hand?

Many years ago I read a book whose author I can’t remember … nor can I remember the name of the book.  But, I do remember a chapter in the book which is called “What Is That In Your Hand?”

This memory was brought back to me at church recently when my Pastor was preaching on Chapter 9 of the book of Acts. In that chapter there is the story of a woman called Tabitha who was known for doing many good works.

The work Tabitha did does not seem impressive to many in today’s world which makes the simple things in life seem so insignificant. Clothing and feeding the poor in her local community would be a stark contrast to those who spend millions of dollars helping AIDS infected people in Africa. Who normally gets in the news? (Ironically, in the Twin Cities Tabitha would get a LOT of news time …)

The mentality overall though is the bigger the better. But looking at the simple things in life that are counted as less significant with a magnifying glass shows how important these acts really are.

A clinical therapist recently told me that she has a lot of people who see her because they feel alone even though they have friends. They feel they have to initiate everything in their relationships or no one would care about them. The longer I live, the more I see this as truth in the lives of people I know.

God recently asked me “What is that in your hand?” interpreted by me as What do I have, whether big or small, to offer others in this world?

  • If I can talk then I can call someone who would otherwise not hear from anyone and let them know I’m thinking about them
  • If I can walk then I can visit someone (so many elderly are estranged from their familiy and friends)
  • If I can bake then I can take some cookies to a neighbor who might otherwise not hear from anyone

I did recently visit a neighbor who told me that she looked forward to visits from the outpatient nurses because they were the only ones who visited her. How sad this was to me.

We all have something we can do. I’m praying that I will be more intentional in looking around me to see who I can help on this journey of life.

Hey! What’s that in your hand?

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