A few weeks ago I sat in church, eyes closed, as Alexander Webb, one of our music ministers, played his guitar and sang. The song was entitled “Hands.” Although he wrote it for his two little nephews, this song has gone straight to my heart as a prayer shawl maker. In his song, Alexander describes the impact of a baby nephew gripping his finger, “It’s the little things you do with your hands that shows what’s in your heart.” I sat there and thought about the prayer shawls that I make with my hands for those who are suffering, how they express my concern, my prayers, and my love.
Oftentimes, prayer shawls are made for and given to people whose suffering is beyond words. “I’m sorry for your loss,” is an understatement when someone we care about is reeling from the sucker punches of grief. There are no words to make it better, no words to convey how much we wish things were different. But just as a picture is worth a thousand words, a prayer shawl says more than we could ever say. I have a friend who lost her mother before she could reconcile with her. It was a double grief. What can you say to a friend who is completely bereft, with all possibility of making things right cut off by death? I knew there was nothing I could say to assuage her pain. Instead, I made her a prayer shawl, quickly, in thick, soft yarn on large needles. It comforted her then and continues to give her solace. She tells me, “No one else is allowed to cry on my prayer shawl.”
Alexander’s song also expresses the power of loving actions:
“Oh, words they are important and you’ve been learning them so well.
But if you ever have a message that you really want to tell.
Tie your tongue in double knots like your tiny running shoes.
Anything worth saying your two hands are gonna more strongly prove.”
Prayer shawls, however, are more than a gift from me to another hurting human being. They come through me from God. This is what makes the gift of a prayer shawl so powerful. No-one knows and understands suffering like Jesus, who lived among us in a human body, poured compassion on the sick and suffering during his ministry, and endured a horrendous death on the cross to redeem us. Jesus pours His own love and compassion into each shawl as I pray and knit, my hands and His, together fashioning a shawl that will give its wearer a tangible sense of the presence of a loving and caring God, conveying by its sheltering warmth what words cannot. I think the final verse of Alexander’s song says it best:
“When you find yourself alone, afraid, and wondering who you are
Those nail-shaped scars on God’s two hands prove you’re always in His heart.
Those nail-shaped scars on God’s two hands prove you’re always in His heart.”
How do you use your two hands to share the love of God with others? Tell me about it in my comments section!
I’ve quoted Alexander’s song with his permission, but you really have to hear it to fully appreciate its power and beauty. You can find a video of Alexander singing this song and having fun with his nephews on his website http://www.alexanderwebbmusic.com. Check it out! You will be touched and inspired!
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