Healing Hands

Healing Hands

Be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58

In medical school, we were taught that if we listened to our patients, they would give us their diagnosis. When a doctor touches a patient, I believe he or she receives confirmation of what the patient has expressed in words. I often find myself “listening” with my hands so I can feel what my patient feels. I believe that God gave me a gift, similar to a mother’s sensitivity to her child’s pain or illness, which has been sharpened through my medical training and practice.

When I am examining a patient with my hands and come across sudden warmth, I know something may be awry. When that happens, I start my search for a diagnosis where my hands felt the warmest. Often, it leads me to diseases I might not otherwise have considered. Patients seem to appreciate my high-touch diagnostic skills, and the more I use them, the more I recognize them as a God-given gift.

God has given you certain gifts and talents as well. Maybe it’s an ear for music, a heart for hospitality, or a special ability to relate to children or teenagers. Whatever it is, know that it is not merely a gift from God to you. It is a gift from God through you to those around you—a way for you to serve and bless others and use your talent for God’s glory.

When we get to heaven, we will be exactly who God created us to be, minus the burden of sin and worldly concerns. We will freely do, to the fullest extent, what God created us to do. Here in this life, the deep joy and satisfaction we feel whenever we are faithful stewards of God’s gifts is just a tiny foretaste of what awaits us in our heavenly home.

TODAY’S RX

Ask God what he wants you to do with the talents he has given you. If you feel as if you’re not using your gifts to the fullest extent, what is holding you back?

God, thank you for the gifts you have given me. I know that any talents or abilities I have are not from my own doing, but are from you. Help me to use these gifts well so that I may point others to you.