“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).

 

What physical trait do the following people have in common? Leonardo da Vinci, Charlie Chaplin, Bobby Fisher, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Deion Sanders, and Bill Clinton? Furthermore, one out of every nine people who walk down the street share this common thread. We who share that trait often feel a bit of discrimination—the “us versus them” syndrome? So what is it? We are left-handed. Yes, I’m part of that group which includes people from all nationalities and walks of life.

The ancient Romans thought that something was wrong with people who are left handed, and the Latin word sinstra (we get our word sinister from the root of that word) described them. Left-handed meant being insincere, double-faced, or hypocritical, more than holding your fork with your left hand.

When I was a kid starting to write, I was bribed with a gold watch if I would write with my right hand. I did, and since then no one, myself included, has been able to read my writing. In China, they still force kids to switch. Going through a factory where ceramic was painted, I noticed that not a single artist painted with his left hand. When I asked why, I was told that Chinese characters cannot be painted well with the left hand. I’m still dubious.

Thirty-five muscles control the twenty-seven bones in your hand, making it one of the most dexterous, efficient tools ever created. Whether you have thought much about it, your hands are a vital part of your body language and express the emotions of your heart. When you are angry, your fists clinch. Your raised hand, palm extended outward, conveys the desire for peace. A split index and middle finger stands for victory, a symbol that was used long before Winston Churchill used that sign. Even before the days when gladiators fought in the coliseum, a thumb raised up meant “OK,” or life, and pointed down meant death.

During the period of the judges, even before Saul was crowned king, some folks were left-handed. A man by the name of Ehud came to Eglon, the king of Moab and said, “I have a message from God for you” as he reached into his clothing and took a sword strapped on his right side and with his left hand, he delivered that cutting message. Among the men from the tribe of Benjamin was a contingent of 700 chosen men “who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss” (Judges 20:16), which may explain why left-handed pitchers in baseball called “southpaws” are so accurate.

Over 100 times the Bible mentions your hands. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,” says Paul, “to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Three times “clean hands” are used to express innocence. Paul also directed that “men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8).

A business executive tells that when he interviews people, he often scrutinized their hands. Why? Your hands tell a lot about you, whether they are nervous hands, strong muscular hands, or soft wimpy hands. They reveal whether you like the outdoors, whether your work is hard, making them calloused or weathered, or whether you pamper your hands, hiring others to do the hard work.

I applaud those who have built artificial limbs enabling those who have lost a hand to have some sense of mobility in grasping and picking up things, but I also know that most of us take our hands for granted. We seldom, if ever, think about their marvelous design until we injure a thumb or finger and then realize what a great job God did in designing our appendages. Thank God for your hands.

 

Resource reading: Psalm 139.