The Work of Our Hands

Nostalgia cloaked me as I entered her home. Black and white photographs lined the entry hall; reminders of life’s happiest times from decades long past. Her soft voice of welcome summoned me to the living room, and I took a seat across from her on the wooden bench neatly placed in front of the organ. The once ivory keys have yellowed with age, much like her hands have wrinkled with days gone by.

She was enjoying the simple self-care treasure of a manicure. The manicurist carefully filed her fingernails as she spoke. Our conversation content repeated several times, a reflection of the tangled web of thoughts woven by dementia. But I didn’t mind. There we sat, generations apart, but united through the common thread of our church.

The work of her hands is evident through her legacy.

Over forty years ago, she and her husband and a handful of other couples began meeting in homes with the dream of starting a church. Their homes led to hotel conference rooms, conference rooms led to expansion and building plans, and decades later, our church thrives.

I wonder if she ever felt like she didn’t quite measure up? Maybe something like, “Oh, this is just a dream…”

Do your thoughts ever drift in that direction?

When the will of God is behind a dream, the pinhole light of our dream that human eyes can see becomes a lighthouse beacon by the power of the Source of the Light.

The will of God was behind my sweet friend’s dream. And I’m so grateful for the faithfulness the charter members of our church exhibited in the early days of its formation. Because our church is the anchor for the course of my life.

As I held her hand in prayer before leaving that day, some of the oil from her manicure lingered on my hand. It would be washed away the next time I washed my hands, but the impact that the work of her hands has made on my life is permanent.

Whatever the work of our hands, may we remember that even if the evidence of that work is not visible this side of eternity, the Master sees our toil. And heavenly gain supersedes all.

“Let the favor[a] of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” Psalm 90:17 (ESV)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

May God bless the work of your hands!