THUMBS-UP

December 17, 2025

Jason Bonnicksen

THUMBS-UP

365 DAYS OF THANKSLIVING — DAY 17

Thwomp… My goodness THAT smarts! I thought I was reaching within; but nope, I jammed my thumb on its edge instead—and super hard, to boot.

I should’ve known better than to check the mail in the dark of night. My rationale: I was already outside putting the garbage can at the curb. And, being that the mailbox is HUGE (and although jet black), all’s I had to do was reach inside. But noooooo, that’s not how it went! (I say this now with a laugh.)

I didn’t feel a gush of blood or anything like that, that was one positive. But being mindful of the throbbing sensation coming from my hand, I carefully trotted across the slippery drive to get back inside. “Honey—help,” I shouted, as my feet crossed the door’s threshold into the light.

There I could see it, the skin atop my thumb pushed way back, a massive lump that was starting to turn red. My gosh! I jammed it good, I thought. It hadn’t started bleeding, that is until I pressed it and ran it under warm water. Gush—out came the blood.

Wifey to the rescue. A drop of Neosporin, a few bandages, and my sweetie got her 56-year-old hubby all cleaned up. She’s a “thumbs-up” in my book.

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to do ordinary tasks without the full use of your thumb? That one little digit is more useful than we might think. Take for example a simple task like cleaning one’s backside; one’s gotta be a bit more careful, don’t ya think? LOL. Seriously, am I not right? Or, how about this one: typing on a keyboard — good golly that space bar feels weird when the thumb’s all bandaged up.

God designed our hands with total perfection, another “thumbs-up” in my humble opinion. He knew that we needed those extra digits to do so many things. For giggles, I googled: “What’s harder in life without a thumb?” Gemini replied with this:

“...buttoning clothes, using tools (screwdrivers, keys, scissors), writing, typing, eating, and even basic self-care like washing dishes or grooming extremely challenging, slowing human progress and making modern technology nearly unusable….”

Google Gemini, search

Ya! No kidding! Those two little digits are deeply important parts of our bodies. Sure, we might be able to get along in life without them. People do. However, God intentionally designed our bodies with thumbs for good reason. He put them there so we can function better.

My wife and I are like that too; we make a good team. I hope you and your partner (if you have one) are like that as well. God also designed us as human beings to work together. We need one another. Just as our bodies need all their individual parts, we’re interdependent as a species, and interconnected as churches. About that, the Apostle Paul wrote:

God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, which our respectable parts do not need.

Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

1 Corinthians 12:18–26, HCSB

Thumbs-up God! “Thank you, Lord, for those two little thumbs on our hands. You created them to be indispensable to our daily lives.”

In that same way, you are indispensable: in your home, your church, and the greater corpus of our society. No one can say that you’re less than, nor not needed. So, thank you for being a part of the communities in which I live and do life. Thumbs up to God. Thumbs up to you! And thumbs-up to every organization and body that welcomes and sees you as valued.

I hope you have a “thumbs-up” kind of day! I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, thumbs and all.

Share This :

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
•