It’s Laura’s fault she broke the plate, it’s true.
And that’s the tale I have to tell to you.
(Junior Asparagus in VeggieTales)

    No doubt you’ve seen a few murder mysteries and crime movies in your lifetime. I know I have. Whenever I watch one, I know I can count on the ending wrapping up neatly because the bad guy invariably gets caught. Perhaps he left behind only one fingerprint — let’s say, on a drinking glass. But that print is inevitably discovered by the bright young detective, who grabs the glass with a cloth and drops it into a bag so it can be taken back to the police laboratory.

    At the lab the glass is quickly examined, a few taps are made into the computer, and within seconds the print has been matched. Up on the computer screen pops the picture of the bad guy, along with a list of his crimes, aliases, and favorite hideouts. The mystery is solved!

    In real life, of course, investigations rarely go as smoothly as in the movies. It’s not easy for a detective to find fingerprints, much less “capture” them and match them. The fact is, investigators have to train for two or three years to be considered fingerprint experts. And because the training is not cheap, many police forces simply can’t afford an expert. They may have staff people with more knowledge about fingerprints than the average Joe, but it’s likely the officers have done nothing more than attend a brief seminar or certification course.

    And training isn’t the only prohibitive expense. The chemicals, light sources, high-tech goggles, cameras, and other devices needed to discover and record fingerprints are costly as well. As a result, these tools are generally reserved for only the most serious crimes. If your bike is stolen, I can assure you the police aren’t going to dust your garage for prints!

    Another problem: Even if the police department has the time and money to search every crime scene for fingerprints, the investigators still have to struggle to recover identifiable specimens. Small objects (such as the drinking glass in movies) can be taken back to a lab and studied; but if these objects are touched by anything else, no matter how gently, or if they are inadvertently rubbed against the sides of the bag or envelope carrying them, the fragile prints can be damaged.

    But let’s suppose the detective manages to overcome every obstacle, and he gets the fingerprints. Who’s to say the prints will find a match? No listing exists of all the criminals in the world. Computers can only match the recovered prints with ones they have on file — and obviously not everyone has been fingerprinted.

    Okay, I know. This is more information about fingerprints than you ever wanted to learn, right? The point is, it takes a lot of hard work to trace fingerprints back to the person who left them. Many crimes are never solved because detectives just can’t find the evidence needed to win a conviction. It’s as if some criminals vanish without a trace.

    Sometimes a woman’s fingerprints can be just as elusive. We touch people every day — with our hands, with our voices, with our actions. There’s no telling how many prints we leave in our wake. And each touch causes a reaction, whether small or large, in the lives of others. One friend might smile after you give her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder; another might enroll in college after the encouragement you offer over lunch.

    Sometimes you can clearly see the effects of your touch. Like in the movies, your fingerprints are found, identified, and traced back to you. More often though — we’re in real life, after all — your fingerprints are lost in the shuffle of living, and you don’t get credit for your impact.

Just because we don’t get affirmation and recognition for touching others doesn’t mean we should stop reaching out.

    Don’t be discouraged. I devote hours each week to the children’s ministry at my church, yet kids aren’t running up to me each Sunday shouting, “Great lesson! You changed my life! Thanks for all your work!” But my touch is still there, and I know it’s important.

    Just because we don’t get affirmation and recognition for touching others doesn’t mean we should stop reaching out. In fact, not getting credit might be more in line with God’s Word, which cautions us to avoid the lure of the limelight. Matthew 6:2-4 says that when we do an act of charity, we shouldn’t even let our right hand know what our left hand is doing! In other words, don’t blow your own horn. Act in secret. Don’t worry about getting the credit.

    Here’s another point to consider. You know how much it means to you when someone does come back and say, “You offered me a shoulder to cry on years ago, and it changed my life. Since that time, I’ve gotten my master’s degree and become a family counselor so I can offer to others the kind of compassion and support I got from you that day.” (Well, the example may be a little exaggerated, but you get the idea!) We need to remember the people who touch our lives, just as we would want to be remembered. As you evaluate your own touch, think of those who have touched you — and let them know the impact they’ve had on your life. Take the time to encourage them with a word of thanks, a note, a candy bar (preferably chocolate), or a bouquet of flowers.

    Of course, at a crime scene, the detectives are looking for the bad guys. We’re not. Let’s do our best not to dwell on the touches of the “bad guys” in our lives. Yes, people have hurt us with their words and actions. Their rough fingerprints have left bruises on our hearts. But my intent is not to point us back to those who have hurt us and assign blame.

    As we are reminded in Job 4:8, “Those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.” Or as we might say today, “What goes around comes around.” Let’s allow God to deal with the ones who have hurt us. We’ll focus our energies on touching others with love, not vengeance.

    Wouldn’t it be neat if we could input the qualities and characteristics of our lives into a computer, tap a few keys, and see pictures pop up of those who’ve made us who we are today — those who’ve touched us with the fingerprints of God’s love, impacting us forever? I wonder if God has a computer like that in heaven.

All-knowing God, you appreciate the traces we leave behind, even when others do not. Help me to touch others for your glory and not my own.

Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love. (Hosea 10:12)

© From her book, "A Woman's Touch: The Fingerprints Left Behind" © 2001, Howard Publishing Company. Used by permission. This article cannot be reprinted in another publication without written permission of the publisher. Click here to buy this title online!

Title: "Tracing the Traces"
Author: Amy Nappa
Publication Date: May 7, 2002

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