Your Hands
by Katherine Kehler
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“But those who do right will continue to do right, and those whose hands are not dirty with sin will grow stronger” (Job 17:9).
A business woman once told me she judges people by the their hands (if they are properly manicured or not) and by their shoes (expensive and polished or cheap and worn out).
My hands are not pretty. My nails are very weak and always split or break, and being allergic to acrylic and gel nails doesn’t help either. I love gardening, but always forget to wear my gardening gloves. You know what weeding, pruning and planting do to your hands. And with arthritis in the joints of most of my fingers - well, if you would judge me by the appearance of my hands, I wouldn’t get a good grade.
Good thing God doesn’t judge us by our outward appearance.
“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
The heart and mind determine what we do with our hands.
Max Lucado, in his book, Just Like Jesus, wrote perceptively about the power of our hands. In essence he wrote:
We can touch gently...or we can slap with anger. We can write loving, encouraging notes...or write sarcastic and mean letters. We can give gifts...or we can steal. We can hold out our hands in a welcoming gesture...or hold them stiffly by our sides. We can hold them restfully on our laps or wring them in distress. We can ball them into fists or hold someone’s hand.
Our hands say so much about what is going on inside our hearts and minds. What are your hands saying about you today?
Father, search our hearts today. Have our hands been pleasing to You? Please keep them clean so we will grow stronger. Amen.
Related article:
The Golden Rule—What Happened to It?
TODAY's Thought: Daily Devotional 
