THE HANDS OF GOD

When I was a little girl, I loved to play “jacks.”

I think I loved it for several reasons:

One, it was fun.

Two, it involved strategy and concentration.

Three, it was challenging.

Did I mention it was FUN?!

In case I have any readers who are too young to remember playing “jacks,” here’s a simple explanation –

What you need to play jacks: Set of jacks and ball. Smooth surface to play on.

Object of Jacks: Be the first to go from “onesies” to “tensies.”

Set up the game: Begin by throwing your jacks onto the ground in front of you. Try and make the jacks land not too far apart or too close together.

Playing Jacks: You then throw the ball into the air … pick up one jack … then catch the ball after it bounces one time. Continue picking up the jacks one at a time. When you have collected all the jacks, throw them again and start picking the jacks up two at a time (twosies). When you get to threesies, you have to pick up the three sets of three first, then pick up the left over jack. Continue on until you are at tensies. You can then declare the winner as the first one to tens, or go back down again to onesies.

Your turn continues until you either: miss the ball, fail to pick up the jacks, move a jack, or drop a jack that you have picked up. Your turn is then over and the next person goes.

Doesn’t that bring back memories?

I loved this game.

I can remember a period of time when my dad would play with me after work!!

I would sit at the kitchen table, and ask my mom about a hundred times, “When’s Dad going to be home?” She always answered, “Soon.”

And then, he’d be there. He’d change his clothes, and come back and sit on the floor, and we’d start our epic “Battle of the Jacks.”

Now, I had fun playing with my dad. And I respected the fact that he didn’t pull any punches. He didn’t “let me win.” That was OK by me. I’m a rather competitive little thing – and I didn’t want an easy victory. However, there was one thing that made playing with my dad a little lopsided…

He had BIG hands!

My dad was 6’ 3” tall, and he had hands to match! So, I kept up with him pretty well until about “sixies.” Then, his “basketball player” hands were much better than mine at scooping up all those jacks.

I learned to toss my jacks a little softer – “Oh look, what a coincidence, they’re all bunched together…”

That worked on the one hand – it made it easier to grab larger numbers of jacks. However, it also made it more difficult to NOT touch other jacks.

Very often, my dad and I were “neck and neck.” My little girl hands were dexterous and nimble. His big dad hands were…well, big.

One very blisteringly even-matched game, my dad and I both arrived at “tensies” together. I made my toss – a closely-knit grouping of jacks tumbled out on the kitchen floor.

I tossed the ball, and went to scoop…I JUST MISSED getting that old #10!

GRRR!

Dad’s turn…

He made his toss – those jacks were spread out! I’m thinking, “Ah ha! I just might have another chance here!”

He threw the ball into the air, and BOOM! His giant hand came thundering down and scooped up ALL ten jacks as fast as you could say, “WOW!”

He won.

I didn’t even feel that bad. Because I had seen an amazing feat. I had seen the wonder of big hands at work.

You know, our Heavenly Father has big hands, too.

And they are AMAZING when they’re at work. They form galaxies, and stars, and planets. They hold the earth in its orbit, the moon in its cycle. They contain the Sun. They govern the tides and the winds. They tell the ocean where to stop. They create towering mountains, and move glaciers. They rule over continents.

“…God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding, he stretched out the heavens. When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses…He is the Creator of everything that exists.”

(Jeremiah 10:12-13, 16)

He’s got the whole world in His hands…

…and He’s got you and me.

“The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him…”

(Ezra 8:22 NIV)

Are you looking to Him?

BLOG = “Blessedly Leaning On God!”