DAY 25

HANDPRINT

NIKKI CATHERINNCCIA, TEACHING PASTOR

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. —Maya Angelou

My husband often says, “Why do we wait for people to die to eulogize them? Why don’t we tell the people we love how they have impacted our lives now, while they are with us?” I think those are great questions. Why do we wait? Haven’t you ever wondered about the impression you have made upon people’s lives? I know I have. In fact these questions have left me to occasionally wonder, “if someone had to write my eulogy tomorrow what would they say about me?” Is that a morbid thought? Possibly, but in full transparency I have thought about the handprint I am leaving on this world. I read a book this past year that challenged me to evaluate my life and how I am choosing to live it. Who am I becoming? What will my legacy be rooted in?

I have always found Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount to be some of the most impactful nuggets of wisdom He imparts upon us. So often when we read Scripture,Jesus has us digging beneath the surface to find the pile of gold and the Sermon on the Mount is a virtual jackpot. The teaching I have always been most drawn to is Jesus’ declaration that we, as His followers, are to be both salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13-16). For us, in our modern context, we think of salt first and foremost as a means to add flavor to our food. However for Jesus, living in the ancient world, salt was, first and foremost, an agent of preservation. When Jesus calls us to be the “salt of the earth” what He is actually declaring is that as His followers we will preserve His presence here on earth long after His physical body is gone. Then Jesus, who was Himself the Light of the world, declares that we are now to be the light of the world. He transfers His title onto all of His followers. This reminds us that while Jesus was on earth, He was the visible representation of the Father and NOW we are the visible representatives of the Son.

When I think of preserving Jesus' presence in this world, I cannot help but consider how people felt when they were with Jesus. If you search the Gospels, what you will find is that the hopeless were filled with hope, the marginalized found their worth, the misfits connected to community, the sick and lame were treated with compassion, the outcasts were welcomed to the table, the unlovable received much love, and the broken were given a tremendous amount of grace. People heard truth spoken in love and received correction without condemnation. This was how Jesus shined the Light of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. He made His Father known in the words He spoke and the way in which He treated people.

Therefore, if we are to be the salt that preserves Jesus' presence here on earth and the light that shines the evidence that Jesus is still very much active in our world today, should our handprint not look like the handprint of our Savior? Shouldn’t people encounter Jesus when they encounter us? Shouldn’t we be transformed into looking more and more like Jesus? The above quote by the late poetess Maya Angelou is one that I often share when I officiate funerals, in particular for people who have clearly evidenced Jesus in the way they lived their lives. You see at the end of the day more than the exact words we say or the exact things we do, what people will remember most is how it all made them feel. This begs the question...when people are with us..when they are with you, when they are with me...do they experience Jesus? If we are following Him they should. If we are living in obedience to Jesus’ command to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, our handprint and Jesus’ handprint should become one. In our presence people should experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness (you see :) where I am going with this) because these are fruits of Jesus’ presence produced by His Spirit.

I’m not sure where you are today but I know that when my days on this earth are over, I want the handprint I leave behind to have Jesus all over it. I want to be known as someone who cared deeply, listened intently, spoke truth boldly, offered grace quickly, forgave completely, served selflessly, lived righteously, and loved unconditionally so that others could see and feel Jesus. I want Him to be the star of my life story, not me. My prayer is that as we all journey with Jesus that we would all choose to become more and more like Him every day. Allowing His Holy Spirit to source our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions. Recognizing that in all things Jesus must become more and we must become less so that the handprint of His presence and His Light remains firmly in this world. How awesome it is to know that we get to be a small piece of His story? That’s a handprint worth living for.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, may our lives be moving toward becoming more and more like You. May we be so devoted to You, following You so closely that when people encounter us they truly encounter You. The desire of our hearts is to see You glorified, to see Your light shine, to see Your presence reign in the lives we touch. May our handprint and our legacies be firmly rooted in You. Bringing glory to You and You alone. In Your name we pray, Amen!