Category: General Reflections
In the context of giving alms, the Scripture speaks of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. I have always found that to be a curious phrase, but this morning I saw it in action.
I was holding my 21-month old son who was holding very tightly to a plastic saucer with his left hand. Wedged in between his left wrist and his chest was his sippy cup. For some reason he decided that he wanted to hold the saucer with his right hand, so he took hold of the little plate and pulled. When the left hand felt the tug, it instantly tightened its grip, realizing that if it let go, the cup would fall to the ground. When the right hand felt the resistance, it yanked even harder...which caused the left hand to clinch so much that it began to shiver. Back and forth it went. Right there before my very eyes, a tug-of-war was taking place between two limbs that belonged to the same person, each appearing to have a mind of its own, and neither perceiving the true identity of its opponent.
This inner-personal battle raged feverishly, until he spotted his stuffed, floppy-eared, shaggy puppy perched on top of the half wall in our kitchen, at which point both hands released their prize and formed a united effort to reach for the dog. And now, thanks to my young son, I have a deeper understanding of the teaching of my Lord.