The Question God Asked Me

What's in Your Hands?

One Woman’s Trash is Another Woman’s Treasure

I scored some second hand treasure at the thrift store for my kids last week. Actually, I didn’t even buy the items. I rescued the loot from the FREE basket on my way out the door.

Normally I don’t bother to stop and sort through the misfit freebies, but I refused to leave empty handed that day (sometimes my stubbornness pays off). So, I perused the pile of lackluster loot as a last resort. In the bin of despair, I discovered a couple of well used phone cases, a crinkled Christmas gift bag with a vintage snowman on the front and a tag that read, “To: Rose, Love: Helena,” mismatched glassware, a coffee mug from the church down the street, a battered picture frame, and a book entitled, “Are You Really Okay?” I replied under my breath, “No. I’m scouring through the junk of the junk, just to get a few more minutes to myself before I head home and make lunch. No, I am not really okay.”

Among the discarded goods that were deemed unworthy to receive a price tag or a spot on the shelf, I found treasure: mini notebooks, a nature guide, and colorful paper in the shape of a crayon. The four mini notebooks were in the original package, the turtle guide spoke right to this nature lover’s heart with its lovely sketches and endless homeschool possibilities, and the fun colored paper would certainly keep my children busy for at least eight minutes, okay maybe six.

The Question

My middle boy was happy to receive this “new to him” treasure. That boy—he's incredibly creative but complains about being bored…a lot. A few minutes after I handed him the thrifted treasure he asked, “Mom, what am I supposed to do?”

I replied from the kitchen without skipping a beat, “What's in your hands?”

My response surprised me. The lack of a comeback from my little restless creative surprised me even more. Perhaps it was a divine, double portion kind of reply for him and me. (More on this shortly.)

Without any further direction, my boy got to work. He sat down and began flipping through the field guide. I watched him copy the very first line on the very first page.

“TURTLES. Front legs are flippers. Front feet have 5 claws.”

I decided to take full advantage of this prime homeschool opportunity. So, I drove him and his brother to our beloved neighborhood nature center coined “Turtle Park” by the local homeschool community. He carried his supplies with great joy and scribbled scrupulous notes during our visit.

The Double Portion Reply

I’ve been asking God the same question recently. “What am I supposed to do?”

He's given me some things that don't seem to go together like the freebies I scored at the thrift store. The internet says this collection of varied skills could be a result of something due to low dopamine. I fear if I don’t log off social media now, I’ll wind up with ten more problems I never knew existed by the end of the year, and I don’t need that kind of stress in my life. Delete the apps!

I see myself in my middle boy—hands full yet restless, the ability to create yet quick to jump to conclusions that the things in my hands won't work together. I am desperate to create, yet sometimes crippled by lack of direction from the Creator.

What am I supposed to do, God? I appreciate the gifts, but what do you want me to do? Because you haven’t told me yet.

Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash

What’s in your hands?

In Exodus chapter four, God asks Moses the very same question I asked my son.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

Exodus 4:1-5 NIV

Read through Exodus 4 and you will see the discourse between God and Moses. Moses is complaining that he is not eloquent with words. He is worried no one will listen to him. Right after Moses asks his “what if nobody will listen to me” question to God, God responds with, “What’s in your hand?” God continues to demonstrate His great power to Moses.

The staff in Moses’ hand— a conduit of God’s supernatural power. God puts things in our hands to reveal His power. And when what’s in our hands feels like second hand freebies, misfit melodies, or a staff and a stutter, we can be assured it’s for His glory and our good. We can rest in the divine partnership and press on in faith. You see, it’s not about what’s in our hands, rather who is holding our hands with His great power and love.

My Moses Moment

I think back to the beginning of the year when I had a similar Moses moment with God. I was standing in my kitchen, feeling quite perplexed over some doors that were closing right before my eyes, doors I thought were finally the doors He had been preparing me to walk through. Through tears, I asked God to take away the things in my hands because I was tired of trying to figure out how, when, and where I was supposed to use them. I was done trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with it all. It felt like too much of a burden to bear and quite frankly, I’d rather be left alone than frustrated any longer.

God did take away something from me that day, but not what I was expecting. Along with removing the burden to bloom¹, He removed some of my excuses, too.

I don’t need an open door to use what’s in my hands.

You don’t need an open door to use what’s in your hands.

We don’t need open doors because God establishes the work of our hands.

Establish the Work of Our Hands, Oh Lord

After we got home from Turtle Park, I started getting all the symptoms of a bad virus. I ended up being sick for two weeks while tending to sick children. Needless to say, I’ve felt weak and vulnerable for the last several weeks, only able to write a little bit at a time. This morning I opened my Write the Word journal and the scripture was from Psalm 90. The last line caught my eye because I’ve been thinking about what’s in my hands.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
    Establish the work of our hands for us—
    Yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17 NIV

Guess who wrote Psalm 90?

Moses.

Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses and thought to be the oldest Psalm written when Israel was wandering in the wilderness. The topic of Psalm 90? The brevity of life. My Bible subtitles Psalm 90 like this: “The Eternity of God and Man’s Frailty.”

When we don’t know what to do with our hands, we can always look to the one who made our hands, the one who establishes the work of our hands. When we feel burdened by our lack, overwhelmed with the reality of our frailty, or confused on how it’s all going to work out, we can look to our infinite, all powerful, and great God.

Maybe you feel like all you have in your hands are the freebies from the basket by the door. Maybe you resonate with my Moses moment, asking God to take things away because you’re burdened by the pressure to produce something meaningful. We have to expand our thinking. We must acknowledge our frailty and look to God’s greatness every single day.

We have to start with what's in our hands and trust God to supply the next thing, to reveal the next step, to take us on an adventure for a hands-on experience of His provision, grace, and goodness.

Use what’s in your hands. It may feel a little silly. It might seem too simple.

If the staff in your hand feels more like second-hand treasure, use it anyway.

So, friends, I have to ask, what's in your hands?

Spend a few minutes in prayer asking God to reveal truth to your heart through His Word and His Spirit. Open your heart and your hands to Him in prayer. Only God can establish the work of your hands, so go ahead and ask Him for that grace and mercy right now. And then thank Him for the mighty work of HIS hands!

Lord, I thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for filling my hands with good gifts. Help me release what’s in my hands to you today, so that you alone may establish the work of my hands. You, oh Lord have made me glad and I sing for joy at the wonderful work of YOUR hands! Yes and Amen.

With Love,

Audra

In case you missed it…

1. The phrase I coined for when you try to make things happen on your own. Read more here.