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Friday, December 20th, 2013
Honestly, I don’t mean to gross you out. But look at that photo again. It’s not retouched. It actually shows a man’s hand medically attached to his ankle. What’s going on? A few weeks ago a man in Changsha, Hunan province, China named Xie Wei had his hand cut off in a work accident. Doctors determined the only way to save the hand was to temporarily graft it to his leg, so it could have an instant blood supply. As you can see, both foot and hand seem to be doing well. Subsequent to this photo the hand was removed from the ankle and attached to Wei’s arm. Even though the photo might make some a bit uncomfortable, the outcome was positive. An oddity that had a good result.
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Seeing this photo got me thinking about strange things spiritually that might make one feel uneasy, but have a divine intention. Like the baby in the manger this Christmas season. Stables are smelly, filthy places. Animals carry all kinds of diseases. Hardly a sanitary environment to welcome the Son of God. The Passion of Christ was also odd. No other God in any other religion redeems His creation by the kind of sacrifice we witness concerning the crucifixion of Christ. A bloody beating followed by a torturous, ignominious death. Even the resurrection was strange. A tomb, a rolled away stone, angels announcing the miracle, and Jesus walking the earth afterwards, teaching his followers the meaning of it all. Strange, very odd. I’m sure that Xie Wei cares little about how unusual his medical procedure was. He has his hand back. Likewise, people shouldn’t be put off by the unconventional way that God in His purposes chose to redeem humanity. Wei accepted and loves his new hand. We should accept God’s plan of salvation and love Him for how he redeemed us, no matter how odd it may seem to our human minds.
An encouraging word: GOD’S WAYS
One of the most difficult lessons we must learn as Christians is that God’s ways are not our ways. Psalm 25:4-5 puts it this way: Show me your way, O Lord, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth. Successful Christian living is discovering the ways, paths, and truths of God, His will for our lives. New Christians quickly learn that spiritual accomplishments are seldom achieved by human logic. If you try to let your rational mind make all your important decisions, many of your plans will fail. Pray David’s prayer, and find HIS leading in your life.
