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Each contestant had 90 seconds to drive four four-inch nails into a four-inch board. The person who drove in the most nails, or finished the four nails in the shortest time, won. The race began with children and advanced to adults.
At first, I thought, "So what?" However, as older children hammered nails, their increased strength captured my attention.
Bang, bang, bang went the hammer. The contest was getting more interesting. I marvelled at the speed and coordination of the adults. The men were beating the 90-second time limit. What a show of strength!
During the contest, my thoughts turned to Christ. At Christmas, we see Jesus as a babe in the manger, and at Easter, He is an adult on the cross. The children in the contest helped me imagine Christ's boyhood. I envisioned Him in Joseph's carpentry shop pounding nails. Since carpentry requires stamina, I visualized a robust child. Somehow my image of gentle Jesus hadn't included strong muscles.
Suddenly I visualized calluses on Jesus' hands next to the scars He showed Thomas. How ironic that the nails Jesus pounded in childhood were the nails that pierced His hands later. He knew the pain before He hung on the cross. That is the true strength of the Man who suffered for you and me.
This article was submitted to the Herald several years ago by Donna Lehman of Fort Wayne, Ind.
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