On the Other Hand

I am right handed, or rather, my predominant hand that I use most in my daily tasks is my right hand.  Chances are that you are also right handed.  But if you are predominantly left handed, you are awesome as well.  The key is not whether you are right or left handed, but that you do have a predominant hand that is used more often and for a greater variety of skills than your other hand.  

Our dominant hand is proficient at fine motor skills, writing for example.  When threading a needle, it is the dominant hand that holds the thread while the other hand simply holds the needle still.  When opening a jar, the dominant hand unscrews the cap while the other hand holds the jar.  The two hands obviously work together, but the predominant hand takes the lead in almost all instances.

Recently I injured my dominant right hand.  The injury was of a nature that it required my hand and wrist to be immobilized.  This of course caused some issues with the use of the hand, like I could NOT use it!  I was basically made Left Handed in a single instance.  Now, you do not know how dependent you are on the functioning of your body until it stops functioning.  If your lungs stopped right now, you would immediately be aware of it.  But you are not walking around thinking about what your lungs are doing.  They are working.  

Well, the use of your dominant hand is the same way.  When it stops working, you immediately become aware that you may starve to death because you can’t use your hand.  Cutting a piece of fruit becomes a life endangering task.  Buttoning a shirt becomes so difficult that walking around naked all day is a viable alternative.  

Think about simply brushing your teeth.  This task involves moving a brush around in your mouth to clean the surfaces of your teeth.  When fully functioning, your dominant hand takes full control of the situation while your non dominant hand just flops around at your side.  Now, make that leading hand immobile.  The flopper needs to get busy.  Oh what a sight to see!  A grown man looking like a 2 year old trying to brush his teeth.  Flailing arms, foam dripping down the chin, contorting the head in every possible direction to just get the brush to work right.  Pathetic.

Thank the Lord that He can find ways of teaching us through humbling experiences such as these.  A hurt hand is just that without God.  But a hurt hand with God is an opportunity to understand something awesome.  You see, our life in this human form is a lot like our hands.  We have both a physical and a spiritual nature and one is lived predominantly.  As a sinner, mired in a life that is in opposition to God and being led according to your own desires, the physical nature, flesh, is predominant in your life.  You walk according to the flesh and you naturally accomplish the tasks of the flesh - sin.  

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  This means that the old self is put aside and you are new.  In other words, your predominant nature is no longer dominant.  Now, the nature of Christ is predominant and your spiritual nature should dominate your flesh.  But this transition is no one step solution.  Just as it is difficult to get your nondominant hand to do the jobs that your dominant hand accomplishes, so is it difficult to change from a life dominated by your own self to a life surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ.  

However, praise be to God in heaven, we are not left alone with our self.  Jesus Christ, has shown us how to create a life dominated by the Spirit of God.  Jesus Christ has shown us how to live according to the spirit and not the flesh.  Of course, it still is not easy when going through trial and temptation.  You still have to brush your teeth.  But there is hope and there is victory.  Yes, you can live according to the spirit.  You can live your life on the other hand.

Romans 8:5