TALK TO THE HAND

 

 

Recognize the value of their hands
Our hands are one of the most significant parts of our body. Imagine how you would survive if you suddenly had no hands. You couldn’t dress, eat or clean your own teeth unless someone helped you. In every aspect of our daily lives we seem to be using our hands to touch, grasp, push, pull or steady something. We use our hands to create, to give comfort and to protect. Our hands help us to express ourselves. My husband couldn’t talk if he had to sit on his hands!

Bless their hands
When my children were very small, I used to hold their little hands in mine and then I would speak to them - I mean actually speak to their hands. I would say, “What beautiful, beautiful hands these are. I wonder what these hands are going to achieve for you and for God in your lifetime?” Then I would scrunch their hands up into a little ball within my hands and kiss each one. Even as they got older, I would gather their hands into mine and talk to their hands. It would always be the same question, “What great things these hands can achieve. What will it be?”

Train their hands
We need to train our children to use their hands in a positive way – all the time. Our actions will always speak louder than words, and sometimes a gentle touch or hug means more than anything else. When we hold and caress our children, they learn what being comforted feels like and will usually want to do the same to others as they grow up. We can teach our kids how to put their hands to creative use by being creative ourselves.

Guide their hands towards kindness
Hands are not just appendages that work without thought to hold things. They are the instruments of care, love, giving and protection. We need to guard our children against using their hands to hurt, take or destroy. We have all heard the saying, 'Idle hands are the devil’s tools.' Honestly, I think that if we really understood that our minds, mouths, hands and feet are the proactive force that influences our choices, we would feel we had more control on the outcomes of our lives.