Be his hands and feet

We often hear the phrase "be His hands and feet."  This phrase popped into my head this morning.  Normally I just take it to mean we should do good works, take care of others, donate to charities, etc.  Simple. Do what Jesus would be doing if he was here. 

But this morning, for whatever reason, I thought about the phrase in a more literal way.  And everything changed.

What do we know of Jesus' hands and feet, literally?  He was a carpenter, so his hands must have been very rough, and worn.  Toughened and used.   And Jesus did a lot of traveling on foot, so his feet must have also been well-worn and rugged.  These weren't pampered hands and feet.  They weren't lavished with fancy oils and propped up on footrests; these hands and feet worked hard.  They saw long hours and dirty conditions.  They touched sick people.  Contagious people.  And in doing so, they performed miracles.  And then, in the end, these hands and feet were treated badly.  They were pierced with nails.  They were abused, and they bled, and they hurt.  But in doing so, they made the ultimate sacrifice!

So what does it mean, to be Jesus' hands and feet?  It sure doesn't seem to mean sitting around, spending time on idle things, or caring only about yourself.  To me personally it speaks of following God to the hard places.  To the places where conditions are less than ideal, where work is hard, days are long, and where you inevitably hurt, physically or emotionally.

I'm not sayin' everyone is called to leave their homes and go abroad to help others.   There is an endless number of ways to serve others, anywhere you are.  The important thing is that you're doing it.

The Lord has really opened my eyes to this lately...this idea of doing.  It really is easy to sit back and enjoy the blessings God gives us around here, and not worry about anyone else.  It's too easy! And I have realized that I want to do more.

To whom much is given, much will be demanded.
Much will be asked of those who have been blessed.
Much should be done by those who have everything.