Unaccustomed as I am to serious physical labour, I have, over the last few months, bucked my trend and been doing a host of house decoration and renovations that needed to happen. There were many consequences of this, one of which was that my hands gradually got rougher and rougher. Regular hand cream application helped but only a little. Eventually I found that my hands became so worn that my thumbprint stopped being able to be used to turn my mobile phone screen on – (first world problems I hear you cry!)
Here are a few facts about fingerprints apparently:
- They are the result of struggle in the layers of the epidermis.
- Before fingerprints were analysed there were bone measurements.
- Some people are born without them due to a genetic condition.
- Fingerprint analysis is fallible.
- Koalas have very similar ones to us.
- Fingerprints are incredibly durable but you can lose them
- The tiny ecosystems in and on our bodies are replacing fingerprints in science
Thankfully though recently my own prints recovered enough to feel right and operate my phone again – so I am officially me again – or am I?
I expect you have heard the expression that ‘your prints are all over it’ – meaning that the activity or behaviour is definitively, typically and evidentially you. When it comes to my discipleship everyday is there some kind of imprint of character in my modus operandi or MO. I have to confess this is pretty patchy at times for me and there are many times when I feel that I am not the person that I would want to be. I take responsibility for that as well as understanding how I have been affected by others.
But the good news, the gracious good news, the saving good news is that the imprint of Jesus is all over you and me. Not just in all your success and achievements and the things that you are happy to be known by but also the secret things, the pain and the failure and even the grand mess ups, mishaps and misunderstandings.
Perhaps my prayer is that I could be a little more conscious each day that Jesus’ prints are all over my life and that maybe just maybe others can see this as well.
And one last thing; there are also times when I think I probably need to hold on to things a little less tightly, be a little more anonymous, leave less of a print but still be a resilient faithful disciple of life-changing and world-changing Kingdom of Jesus Christ. I am going to try – how about you?
Photo by George Prentzas on Unsplash
