God's Hands/Our Hands

Joe Blair has written a poignant post this week. It's about a group of guys who have decided been called  to rebuild the screened porch of a friend of theirs. The friend is dying and has chosen to spend what time remains to her on her porch.

It is part of what makes us human, I think, the Urge To Do Something when someone we care about is going through a bad time. We know we are powerless to make it better most of the time, but still, we have this compelling need to Do Something.

In the past week and a half I learned that one neighbor had to have a bone scan because of a cancer recurrence. The woman who lives next door to him has finally been matched with a donor for the marrow transplant she needs to ward off leukemia. And our friend who kept Blackberry when we were away is being scheduled for complicated heart surgery. On Sunday morning, I remembered these three during The Prayers. But that wasn't enough. In the afternoon I had a compulsion to bake, and later that day delivered blueberry muffins to two of our friends and banana bread to the third.

Tonight I'm remembering a piece I used to share with my Stephen Ministers during their training course. It was written by Teresa of Avila and says:

Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Amen and Amen.


Comments

Brenda said…
thanks for this. I just returned from bringing a loaf of fresh bread to an ill friend, and today I also made supper for a newly-bereaved family. I know small acts have a big impact. blessings to you and yours close and far.
Janet O. said…
Even though we can't "fix" things for those we love, I believe that showing we care makes a difference in the burden they bear. Things are so much heavier when we face them alone. I'm sure you feel blessed for acting on the prompting to be the Lord's hands.
I think that I am often tempted when hearing about an illness or tragedy to pray for the person or situation...and that's it. We are always bidden to do more.
"...so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26
Lovely reminder, Nancy.
Anonymous said…
Lovely post today. Thank you.
Nancy said…
Thanks, I needed this post this morning.
pcflamingo said…
Beautiful. I like that so much. I have a childhood friend who is facing her 4th open heart surgery and I try to find hopeful, uplifting things to message to her. Oddly enough I am seeing ways she can be Christ's hands and feet on this earth, even in her illness.
Quiltdivajulie said…
One co-worker facing double surgery (hysterectomy and gall bladder). Another waiting for biopsy results (lymph nodes). A third dealing with chronic intestinal problems. A kind word, a smile, an offer to 'take care of that for you' . . . done as often as possible . . . does not 'fix' but does help lighten the burden.

Lovely post, Nancy!
howdidIgethere said…
Reminds me of the devotion I shared at Circle last month. The author wrote about praying for others, and went on to call the actions we take in service to others "prayers of the hands". I aspire to more "prayers of the hands", but know I fall short more often than not.
Rida said…
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