32 Hands
Hands of strangers, hands of different color, hands that have seen more days than my own hands. Hands that have fought and won. Hands that are open to give and receive love. Hands that are joined with other hands declaring together that God is just so good and beautiful. Hands that love so well, and are learning to hold loosely.
Around 2 years ago I went to the mall to get a tattoo pretty spontaneously. My favorite musician at the time was a venezulan magical guitarist/singer named Devendra Banhart. On one of his album covers there was a circle of hands in the middle and I took interest in it. So on one hot july evening before driving to Asheville NC, I decided to go get it tattooed on my leg. I had no real idea why I loved it so much, I just did. So when people would ask me after what it meant I’d just say it’s simply a piece of art that I dug from Devendra Banhart. Fast forward two years and I tell people now it resembles the importance of community. How others literally can lead you through healing, can lift us when we are down and need to breathe. That the body is made to love one another, to lend helping hands. There is nothing that cannot be done with community and god at the center. It is the root of all healing. So as I slowly healed over the period of two years due to blessing upon blessings of faithful, beautiful community and friends the tattoo became a story that pointed to hope and something that meant the world to me.
So get this. Currently as I write this I’m watching the most beautiful Bali sunset from the second floor patio at the hostel my squad and I are staying at for debrief. 3 days before hand I had a revelation. One of my leaders asked me what the hands on my leg meant and I again explained how it pointed to the importance of community in my life, a constant reminder that I cannot do it alone. I then told him that there were sixteen hands on both sides forming the circle, equaling thirty two hands all together. Wait. 32 hands. 32 people on my squad. 32 people God gave me to travel the world with bringing the love of Jesus to all we meet. I was so stoked and couldn’t stop smiling. Anyways I thought I’d share. You may never know what something may mean to you later on, you may never know how God will use something to point to the present blessing in your life. What got me here was community. What led me through healing and back into a beautiful relationship and freedom with God was other people. People with eyes full of love, people with hands open and ready to lead, love, work, and surrender their own desires so that someone who was lost could again dance in freedom. Never ever take for granted the person that’s right there next to you. We all have two hands. Two able hands to love and to help each other understand that it’s okay to suffer, to feel defeat, to feel alone. That every single one of us has a story that is both wonderful and true. A story that God wants to use and to bring glory and love to. Hold on to each other, this is a wild ride indeed.
Australia was beautiful. It was filled with ministry that pulled my heart in many directions. Working along side of people who had such a big heart for the community was a blessing in so many forms. Wether it be playing soccer with refugees from the middle east, to serving with our hands at a beautiful rehab center, God was there. Healing was there. The story is just beginning and every day is a reminder to be present with God. We are enough for God’s love, and boy does he have a lot to give.
From Bali Indonesia,
Love Brent
