Two Hands

I’ve been living out of sanity
I’ve been splitting hairs and blurring lines
I am a house that is divided
In my heart and in my mind

I use one hand to pull closer
The other to push you away
If I had two hands doing the same thing
Lifted high, lifted high

“Two Hands” Jars of Clay

I heard this song on the radio one morning last week and after that it was in my head all day. I realized that this is often the inner turmoil we face as we try and walk with the Lord. At times it can seem like we have two separate people in us, one longing to get closer to the Lord and one trying to push Him away. We want all that He has for us, but when it gets hard we want to quit and say never mind. Some days the story of my life is Romans 7:19 “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” There are so many days that I want to do the will of the Lord, and I simply don’t. There are so many days that I don’t want to sin, and I simply do.

When I heard the song, my husband and I were in a disagreement and the lyric kept repeating in my head “If I had two hands doing the same thing”. I realized that not only can there be an inner warring in each of us, but for those of us that are married, there can also be a warring with our spouses. God said that once we were married, we were then one flesh, one person in His eyes (Genesis 2:24). So when we fight or are at odds with our spouse, it is the same idea. We are two hands of the Lord doing different things. In my mind, it would be like trying to play the piano with one hand and crochet with the other. Each on their own would be able to be done, but doing them at the same time is counterproductive. I am sure there is someone out there who has the ability to play piano and crochet, but because you would not be giving either of the tasks individual focus you would not be doing either the best that you possibly could. If we are going one way and our spouse is going another, we will never be doing the perfect will of God. Only when we are working as one, in our hearts, our minds, and our spirits can we fully be doing the will of the Lord.

Mark 3:35 clearly says “and if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” If we are moving in two different directions we will never make any progress. Christ tells us that we are one body and that all parts are needed and should be working in sync for the same goal (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). When we don’t function as a body either in the body of Christ or even in ourselves, we are bound for doom.

And if we just keep digging,

we can reach the foundation of our souls

And if we just keep cutting all the

chains from our hearts we’ll lose control

If Christ is in us, then He is in our hearts and if we dig deep and remove the chains from our hearts, then He will reign. He takes control, and we simply follow, with two hands lifted high in praise and adoration.

Lord, help me to remember that I am never more in sync with You than when I have two hands lifted up to you. Lifted in praise, lifted waiting to see what You have for me, lifted reaching for You, always reaching for You.

M.