TOKENS OF LOVE

TOKENS OF LOVE

Today at lunch, while sitting in my car, I looked up and noticed these two hand-carved pieces which are hanging from my rear view mirror.  They were crafted by my multi-talented wife and given to me as a gift.  The turtle is a symbol of long life and the hook is a symbol of prosperity (the Polynesian way of saying 'live long and prosper' 🖖 🙂).  They are beautiful, visual and tangible tokens of her love for me and her desires for success in my endeavors as I leave home each day.  And when I paused and took the time to notice them again today, it warmed my heart and filled me with appreciation for my wife.

But sadly, although I am near them every day and every time I am in my car, I often fail to recognize them or acknowledge them for what they represent.  My thoughts, vision and focus is somewhere off in the distance and engaged in other things.

How often are we that way in life?  With so many distractions and conflicts vying for our attention it is easy to get caught up in worries about finances, political divisions, civil unrest, pandemic uncertainties, and countless other issues.

And while these things sometimes require our attention, we often fail to recognize the many visible and tangible tokens of God's love for us, which surround us each day - the laughter of a child, the kindness of a smile, the light in someone's eyes, the color of a blooming flower, the song of a bird, the sound of gentle rain, a cool breeze on a warm day, or the warmth and light of the sun on a cool day, the embrace of a loved one, etc.

Regular, medatative pause and recognition of these visible and tangible tokens of God's love remind us of His presence in our world and does wonders for the soul if we but shift our focus to acknowledge them for what they are.  They are all signs of life and His love for us and were created to bring us joy.

And even more importantly,  it would do us well to more frequently pause, recognize and remember the most important Tokens of God's Love for us,  which are carved within the hands and feet of our Master,  our Savior, and our Redeemer Jesus Christ!

The tokens of His love are all around us if we will but shift our perspective to recognize them for what they are.  And by doing so, they have the power to change our hearts and fill our lives with peace, joy, happiness and a measure of His love.

And in today's crazy world, we could all use a little more of that!

(Carvings and drawing are both creations of my wife, Nikki Jensen Andreasen)

To Be His Hand

TO BE HIS HAND

This picture of the Hand of Christ is extremely moving and humbling to me for several different reasons.

Firstly, because I love Jesus Christ and what He has done for me!  The price He paid on my behalf alone is unfathomable to imagine!  The depth and breadth of His love for every single soul defies all comprehension, and even if we are given but a glimpse of His love it is utterly overwhelming.  The tokens of His loving sacrifice are a glorious reminder of how much we mean to Him and the terrible price He paid on our behalf.

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…” – Isaiah 49:16

I also love this sketch because my wife created it!  She has taken up painting a bit over the past few years and is developing a long-hidden artistic talent, which is amazing to see blossoming right before my eyes.  She has just recently begun to combine this talent with her testimony and study of the scriptures through a blog which you can find at Pigments and Ponderings and has many paintings and thoughts she will be sharing over time.  She has mostly done paintings before, and this was one of her first pencil sketches she has created for her latest blog post.

But the most moving thing about this sketch for me, is not in its mastery and precision of detail, but the fact that my wife used my own hand as the model for this composition.

To consider that my own imperfect hand could and would be transformed under the hands of a creator, to represent that glorious right hand of the Master Creator is a both greatly humbling, and in a way, a bit uncomfortable.  My hands are so far inferior and flawed compared to His own.  His hands which hold such Omnipotent power and strength, as well as the marks of my own imperfections and countless others, are glorious and perfect.  While my own hands are so often lacking in strength.

Yet the fact that my hand my might represent His in some small way is also very empowering to consider and humbles me all the more.  That He might consider using me as His representative in some way through my daily walk of life provides purpose and meaning to what I do and how I attempt to do it.

To those who desire to follow Him on the path of discipleship He has declared:

“Go forth among …thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.” – Alma 17:11

“Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit; And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me…” – Doctrine & Covenants 35:13-14.

One of the Lord’s living apostles, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated:

 “When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched, reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love. And He always talked with, never down to, people. He loved the humble and the meek and walked among them, ministering to them and offering hope and salvation.

That is what He did during His mortal life; it is what He would be doing if He were living among us today; and it is what we should be doing as His disciples...

As we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart.  … With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others.

Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result.  If we are His hands, should we not do the same?

…As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

… let us commit to become His hands, that others through us may feel His loving embrace.” – (‘You are My Hands’, April 2010 General Conference)

As I look at this wonderful and humbling picture which my wife created, it gives me hope and purpose.  It moves me to repent and through His hands and Atonement become more pure and clean and a little better, despite my many imperfections.

I can by no means compare myself to the Savior, and would NEVER seek to do so.  But perhaps, with the help of His Mighty Hand, I can represent Him a little better through my own life and actions, despite my vast imperfections.

And to think that He loves me enough to give me opportunities to represent and serve others in His name, so that I can come to learn more about His love for me… well, that makes me love Him all the more!