Our Hands Can Be the Saviour's Hands

3 Nephi 12:41 and Matthew 5:41 - "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twin."

A story was shared that I’m not sure is fact, embellished, or fiction, since there are different versions on the Internet, but I want to share it because it is quite touching. I will not share the artist's sketch, since it may not be legal to copy it. You can find it on the Internet if you’re interested in the history.

In the 1490s, two struggling art students, Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein, were having trouble making ends meet. Albrecht came up with a plan: he would work to support Franz’s studies and then when Franz had sold enough art to support both of them, Albrecht would quit working and go back to school. Franz liked the idea but insisted on being the first to work.

Albrecht became a highly skilled painter and engraver. When his art began to generate sufficient income to support the two of them, he returned to keep his part of the bargain. However, he was saddened to discover that Franz’s labors had left his hands too stiff and gnarled to hold a brush. Franz’s career as an artist was over before it had begun, yet Franz refused to be bitter.

One day, Albrecht returned home to find Franz kneeling by his bed, his hands uplifted in prayer, asking God for continued blessings on Albrecht’s artistic endeavors. Deeply struck by his friend’s unselfish act of love, Albrecht sat down and sketched what would become by far his most famous work—the “Praying Hands.”