The Fingerprint
The darkened impression molded into the crumbling brick snagged my attention. The ragged brick was nestled into the wall of a fort and, upon seeing it, I sucked in a surprise breath over the precious detail. A detail many around me missed. The fingerprint of a slave.
Let me back up for a moment. You see, I finally found my mother ship. It’s in the quaint and charming town of Savannah, Georgia. I knew my history-loving bookworm self would find a treasure trove in the historic Southern town and boy, was I right. I was especially intrigued by a fact rattled off by our tour guide. “Many of the older homes and buildings in and around the outskirts of Savannah were built by slaves. In fact, if you look closely you can find some of their fingerprints in the bricks.”
And there it was staring back at me. I ran my finger over the scarred impression, marveling that such a small mark could tell such an exquisite story. I wondered whose hands had formed the old brick. What was their name? What were their dreams? Running my fingers over that precious print linked me inextricably to the past, binding an invisible cord between the nameless slave and me.
If I hadn’t been looking for that priceless fingerprint, I would have missed it completely. But thanks to my tour guide, I was alert and ready. So it is with God. Each day His Spirit reveals mysteries, comforts us and leads us straight to the heart of God. But we’re often too busy to notice…schedules to juggle, responsibilities to keep and entertainment to capture our attention. We bow down to the god of busyness, rushing here and there but missing the most exquisite details of God masterpiece. We trade God’s best for us and exchange it for headaches, exhaustion and spiritual starvation. But He won’t scream to capture our attention…instead He speaks in a gentle whisper.
He’s painting a beautiful story with your life. His fingerprints are all over you, molding and revealing, leaving impressions that will remain etched into eternity. Don’t get so busy that you miss His fingerprints.
Comments 2
This is the most beautiful article . Thank you for posting it. It grieves my heart what they had to go through. God made a way , where their seemed to be no way for them. Praises to our LORD for all he does .
Author
Amen, Angela! That was the single best vacation I’ve ever been on because I learned so much and walked away inspired by the stories I heard.