I couldn’t believe it. There was a flesh-and-blood policeman
with an actual fingerprint kit dusting the handle on the door of the carwash
bay behind my house. Someone must have broken in and stolen the quarters from
the coin-operated machines.
I love crime shows and had watched lots of actors “dust for
prints”, but had never seen it happen in real life. I admit, I was excited to
be witnessing it firsthand. More importantly, the results would help the police
pinpoint who was involved in the crime.
Consisting of friction ridge skin on the tips of the fingers,
fingerprints are detailed, unique, difficult to alter, and durable over the
life of an individual, making them suitable as long-term identity markers. Fingerprints
are often not visible without some type of development that makes the latent
fingerprint stand out against the background so the print can be collected
and/or photographed. They can then be presented as irrefutable evidence in
court.
Christian writer and speaker Sharon Jaynes challenges us to “Dust
for God’s fingerprints on the pages of your everyday life.” Have you ever searched
for God’s fingerprints? His Word says God is always with us (Hebrews 13:5), but
sometimes, like latent fingerprints, I find it difficult to see Him. What can I
“dust” my life with to make His touch visible?
Sharon suggests we follow 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In
everything give thanks.” Gratitude can change the lens through which we see our
circumstances. Giving thanks changes our perspective by accumulating evidence
of God’s presence in plain old everyday life.
Looking back over our lives is another way for us to dust
for God’s fingerprints. It is by seeing God’s fingerprints in His past work in
our lives that we gain courage to place our present and future in His hands.
Remember the poem, “Footprints
in the Sand”? It tells how God revealed His presence to the author as
he/she reminisced about life.
Sometimes talking with others can serve as the brush that
sprinkles and swirls the fingerprint powder around in our lives. Blinded by
circumstances or emotions, we need other Christians to bring to light the
evidence of God’s fingerprints.
Whether obvious or obscure, God’s hand IS on our lives. What
techniques have you found that help you see God’s fingerprints more clearly?
Be encouraged!
Pam
©2017 Pamela D. Williams
