More From Carol Elaine Harrison

I originally wrote this devotional early in 2020 about how the fingerprints on my glass-fronted china cabinet remind me that God’s fingerprints are all around me even when I don’t recognize them right away. Over two years later, many difficult things have occurred around the world. My life has continued to be filled with tough things related to my husband’s battle with cancer and a few issues of my own.

Appointments, pain, meds, and limitations fill our days. It’s hard to watch someone I love in physical pain and grieving what is no longer possible for him or us to do together. It feels like ugly fingerprints mar the beauty of our hopes and dreams like fingerprints on the pristine glass of the cabinet.

Yet when I look back over the last two years, I also see where God has provided care, guidance, and love, and has sent people into our lives who have been blessings. Each day I need to remember that God never changes in power or love. God only asks me to trust.

Rereading this devotional reminded me to look for those fingerprints of God and how God hasn’t left me or my husband alone. I see them in the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. God opened doors for camp ministry again this summer, and I had the opportunity to tell the campers how much God loves them. For some it was a message they’d never heard before.  I also had a chance to hear some of the burdens on their young hearts and share with them how they are not alone.

I see God when I listen to the birds sing, watch the seasons change, and receive a hug from a friend. I’ve taken time to reminisce about other tough times in my life. Looking back I am able to see clearly how God answered prayers, gave comfort, and sent people into my life just at the right time. These people who loved God shared the journey with me, comforted me with their presence, and helped me know it was another of God’s fingerprints in my life. If God helped me through those times and never changes, I can trust that God is with me each step of this hard time in our lives.  

Life is difficult at the moment, but it also contains many wonderful memory-making moments. Those moments may look different than I expected, but they can be treasured in the days and years to come. Life is also filled with reasons to praise God for who God is and for the wonders of creation I observe when I take time to notice them. I pray you will be encouraged to look for the positives, the fingerprints of God in your everyday life.