Hands

7/16/13

On my 9th birthday, I received my first bottle of nail polish.  From that time on, I was an addict.  I collected nail polish and constantly had a fresh coat of polish on my nails.  I loved having pampered hands, and I enjoyed giving manicures and pedicures to family and friends.

When I began taking Allied Health classes in Junior year, my teachers were very picky about the lengths of their students' nails.  We began work experience at the hospital, and I began chopping my nails.  I felt proud of my nails.  To me, they became a symbol of my hard work and reminded me of Father March's words to Meg in Little Women.

Within the past year, I received a calling from God to use my hands to serve Him.  While the Lord has equipped me with many talents and gifts to share His love to the world, I believe that He has a special plan for my hands.  Stories of Jesus touching lepers and the sickest of the sick inspire and thrill me.  I love the healing power of God, and I am excited to be a vessel of this power.

For the last year, I have worked at a senior home and have had countless opportunities to use my hands to do the work God has called me to.  From cleaning up feces, urine, and emesis, to lifting, dressing, undressing, showering, massaging, and caring for my elderly residents, I have seen my God-given calling come to life.  Yet, along the way, I also developed the notion that the more abused my hands and self were, the better.

Today, I received my very first shellac manicure in anticipation for being a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding.  Watching my neglected nails and rough hands being transformed into something so beautiful was almost miraculous.  As I went on with my day, I found myself touching everything in a different way.  I felt like a baby discovering the world for the first time.  There was a gentleness in my touch.  Beyond feeling the need to simply get a job done, I feel the need to seek beauty and leave a wake of beauty, grace, and love upon those I touch. 

Whether my hands are calloused, dirty, and bloody or freshly manicured and smooth, God has called me to use them to spread love and point the focus back on Him.  It is not about me achieving a statues of either abused or pampered, it is about me showing the love that has been so richly lavished upon me through my hands.