"By the work of your hands"
"For
we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ
Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be
used]
for good
works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He
set],
so that we
would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready
for us."
Ephesians
2:10 (AMP)
There are fingerprints on the wall, and the
windows too…AGAIN. Those are the small reminders that this house does real
life. No matter how much you go out of your way to make sure their little hands
are washed after they come in from playing in the dirt, or how often cleaning
up time actually happens, there they are. Breathe. Take a moment to stop and
ponder. Those little fingerprints were created with love while their bodies
were still being formed, go several layers deep, and no other person in the
world has a matching one. They are daily reminders that no other person in all
of the world is the same as your little one…or you.
As you were formed, God created you
intricately so that not one person is the same - from your innermost spirit out
to your unique fingerprints. Fingerprints are the mark we leave behind
somewhere. It marks what we have done and where we have been. It is the same
way with your legacy. No one can leave a legacy quite like the one you do both
on your families and those around you. Your little nuances were created and
designed for the life God wanted to give to only you. They are intricate and unchanging.
In the same way, our children are engraved upon our hearts making us mothers
forever.
Fingerprints are small, unassuming,
intricate, yet incredibly hard to remove or erase. Fingerprints are resilient
having the ability to grow back after damage from being burned or rubbed raw.
In this way, they mirror our ability to pick ourselves back up after the trials
that come our way. Amazingly, our fingerprints last longer than our lives. This
too can turn our hearts to remembering that our Creator’s love surpasses all
limits of time. No matter what we do, it is consistent and lasting. He
will never disappear or leave us. He is with us in every season of
motherhood and of life.
Because we are created by Him, we have His “fingerprints” upon our lives too.
Every person enjoying a hobby where they create - writing, sewing, painting,
programming, cooking, singing, for instance - has a signature or uniqueness
that marks their work, often a signature, style or mark placed upon it with a
meaning. We imitate our Creator in this. His image and likeness is imprinted
upon us so that we can know Him, love Him and out of this overflow, love
others. It is an invitation for us to be the hands of God. We have the
opportunity to touch people with His love. He places people in your path that
need His touch and who need to experience it in a way only you can give
them.
We were all made for
a purpose, a reason, a time. You touch lives in a way only you can, and
as a mother this can feel heavy some days. How we choose to live our life
throughout each moment of our day leaves marks which over time. Embracing who
we were created and designed to be, allowing it to shape us, leaning into God
with the help of the Holy Spirit and Word as He reveals His purposes in and through
us is what will leave a lasting, beautiful legacy like fingerprints on glass
but instead they remain on the hearts and lives of those we’ve
touched.
