It's the hand!
Want to know how amazing our hands truly are? One source has created a list; here are some of those facts!
- There are 27 bones, 29 joints and at least 123 named ligaments in the human hand
- What sets our hands apart from other animals is our opposable thumbs—this means our thumbs and fingers can work together ( fun fact: koala bears also have opposable thumbs)
- You cannot get a tan on your palm and underside of your fingers
- Fingerprints are a completely unique DNA imprint that is different in every single human being. No two human beings in the world have similar fingerprints.
- Fingers don’t have muscles—tendons in our fingers are moved by the muscles of the forearm
- Your fingernails show your state of health—they can indicate problems such as mineral or vitamin deficiencies, liver trouble, thyroid or anemia. Some warning signs of deficiencies that show up on your nails may be that they are brittle, pale or spotted.
- The color of the nails and those small “moons” on each nail can identify the quality of oxygen level of the bloodstream and blood circulation
- Our fingers are even more sensitive than the eyes—the fingertips have a large number of receptors responsible for sending messages to the brain.
- The vein on your ring finger is called Venna Amoris—it has a direct line with the human heart and is known as the vein of love. That’s why we wear an engagement ring on the left hand’s finger!
The hymn Precious Lord, Take My Hand will forever be special to me for a lot of reasons. In June, 2017, after years of suffering and loss, my Grandmother went home to be with her heavenly Father. The days leading up to her death will forever be etched in my mind. My Grandmother had been transferred to a secure memory care unit the day that she was admitted to hospice. The staff at the facility allowed my Mother, Father, Uncle, and I to stay with my Grandmother around the clock. For the week between her admission to hospice and her death, the four of us stayed by her bedside around the clock, making sure she knew she was never alone. There were moments of laughter, tears, silence, and everything in between, as we loved and attended to a woman who had cared for so many thousands of women and newborns that it would be impossible to count (she had been an obstetrics nurse her entire life).
After her death, we went about finalizing the plans for her memorial service. Video montages, flowers, food, and music. Music was huge to my Grandma. She had been part of the USO in her younger years. One of her last lucid moments was when I sang to her...she opened her eyes and hummed to me, like she had through my entire childhood. We agreed I would sing. But what could I possibly sing to honor her memory? And the truth I never told my family back then...how would I ever be able to do this? How could I get through it?
I prayed. And prayed. And prayed. And God spoke to me. "Precious Lord, Take My Hand". I had heard it countless times before. I heard it on the way to her care facility the day she was admitted to hospice. And hands? Well, her amazing hands had healed wounds, comforted grieving mothers, given strength to laboring mothers, and literally brought life into the world. It seemed right, dare I say even perfect. I just knew I needed to know more.
Precious Lord, Take My Hand was written by Thomas Dorsey, a famous Band Leader, in 1932. As the story goes, his wife was pregnant with their first child. He had been asked to go to an open air revival. Initially he had refused, but eventually agreed. While he was finishing, he was brought a telegram...his wife had died during childbirth. By the time he returned home the next morning, his baby was dead as well. The two were buried together, along with Dorsey's desire to ever play or sing again.
A week later, a dear friend brought him to a music hall and put him in front of a piano, and he wrote Precious Lord, Take My Hand. God used the gift He had given Dorsey (music) to heal his heart. What Dorsey likely would never realize is how many that song would reach.
As her service, doubt filled my head. I wasn't angry...my Grandmother lived an amazing, full life. But it hurt. I was grieving. Could I do this? Could I be perfect enough to honor God and My Grandmother? As I cried in my car after rehearsing with the accompanist, God spoke to me. This song wasn't about honoring either of them. They didn't need that. Much like the story of Dorsey, God was speaking to my heart, saying "Beloved, healing exists, right here".
God has promised us that we are never on this journey on our own...that He will lead us. We can find His promise in Isaiah 41:13
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
There have been so many times I believed I had to go it on my own. There have been so many times I have said "No, don't worry God, I've got this. Just relax in the passenger seat and leave the hard stuff to me". Is it ego? Maybe. More than anything, however, it is fear. We can see, though, that we have no need to fear. God has promised that He will hold our hand. He will lead us. He will help us.
Dear one, can we pray together for a moment?
Heavenly Father, today, we thank you for the gift of music. While we know that every creature has a way of singing out, we also know that you gifted us with a unique ability to utilize this gift to worship you and heal. Lord, remind us that we need not fear. Your limitless love and strength is always there. Lord, take our hands and lead us home.
Amen
In Love, JSB
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my light is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
http://www.deserthandtherapy.com/18-amazing-facts-about-human-hands/
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