The Handshake

I miss the power of a handshake. My dad actually taught me about handshakes. He didn't tell me anything about a curve ball and little about sex. But I got a lesson (formal) on handshakes.

 

I was to firmly grasp the other hand but not so hard as to hurt the other person. I was to look the other person in the eye till I was done. Even more than the mechanics was the lesson in everything that stood behind the handshake. By shaking a hand, I was transmitting the fact that I was good for everything that I would promise or say. I was genuine in my transaction. The handshake was my expression of integrity. I became a real man when I deployed the handshake. I was good for what I said.

 

Now, I must admit that I have not always lived up to my standards but I tried. I sought forgiveness when I failed. I return to the handshake. But the land has shifted.

 

As I grow older, I notice that The Handshake is typically just a formality. Not much behind it. The world prefers the "I'm committed until something better comes along" tip-o-the-hat. As long as it's not too inconvenient.

 

I bet Jesus' handshake meant business. He'd deliver or die trying. Community is strengthened in the presence of such people. They are bedrock.

 

Today, be bedrock yourself. Put all of you in your handshakes and the promises that go with it. Build unshakable community.