You can learn a lot just by looking at someone’s hands.
For instance, you can tell if someone works in an office or in manual labor. You can tell if they’ve been painting or cooking recently. You can also see signs of sickness and age.
A hand is the first contact most people will make with another person. Are the hands rough? Smooth? Cold? Nervous? Sweaty? Slender? Massive?
When you look at someone’s hands, there are many other things you can learn as well:
- Has life been good to this person?
- Do they place importance on taking care of themselves?
- Have they battled anxiety, gnawing and picking at their nails until there’s no quick, just a slight change between soft fingertip to hard nail, marked by dried blood droplets?
- Have they found love?
Sometimes hands can show the excitement of a new beginning or the grief of an end.
With our hands, we cook, give directions, and help our fellow man.
Some people gesticulate wildly while talking and you might have to duck a wild hand…especially if they dab (which I honestly believe should never be done by anyone).
Parents and teachers use their hands to teach, direct, and discipline the lives of the next generation.
Children play patty-cake, peek-a-boo, and create special clapping rhythms amongst friends while on the playground. Some children create secret hand-shakes and give each other high fives as a standard of approval. Some of these childish hand behaviors follow on into adulthood, and if they haven’t, they often should.
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it (Mark 12:15).
With our hands, we sometimes massage painful muscles and joints at the end of the day – sometimes our own painful muscles, sometimes muscles belonging to someone else. Our hands are used to caress a lover, and make lifelong commitments (’till death do we part).
The next time you meet someone new, re-connect with a long lost friend, or simply have coffee with your best friend, take a moment to read the stories their hands can tell you.
Hands show the world more than many realize.
Good Grief?!? 