My older brother was born left-handed in the early 1950’s. Sadly, there was still a stigma back then that lefties were “less than” or even worse, had been cursed by the devil. I remember my grandpa coming over and making my brother print loops over and over on paper with his right hand in an attempt to “lift the curse”. My poor brother became so confused that he didn’t know which hand to write with (he is now ambidextrous in many areas but writes with his left).
By the time I came along (and was also a leftie) my grandpa either had given up or I was just too stubborn to try to change (I suspect the latter!).
I am totally and completely left-handed. I even have the left-handed personality traits (lefties score higher when it comes to imagination, creativity and intuition).
Left-handed people make up only 10 percent of the population. That always made me feel a bit unique and special, which is not to say that being a leftie is easy. The world is not set up for those of us who are southpaws.
Scissors are designed for right-handed people. Those school desks with the attached desks always made me feel like an uncoordinated mess. I thought it was my fault until I happened upon a lone leftie desk in college. What a difference! I could finally write the way I was meant to.
Bank pens hooked by those spiraled cords make it practically impossible for a southpaw to write. Zippers are set up for righties and so are keyboards with the number keys on the right side. Ladles have the pour spout on the “wrong” side, guitars and cameras are wrong too. Spiral notebooks are horrible for lefties and so are can openers! Even peelers only have one side sharpened (the side for right-handed people). And, tape measures show the numbers upside down if a leftie uses them.
Even eating with other people can be difficult. I spent too many years trying to eat without lifting my elbow. I now demand a leftie spot at restaurants and my family and friends oblige me.
So, did our ancestors have the RIGHT idea (see what I did there) when they assumed that we were freaks of nature and that God was displeased with us?
I remember the first time I read Judges 20:16 –
“Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.” KJV. I was so excited that these men were set apart as being left-handed.
Further study brought me knowledge of Ehud, a left-handed man chosen by God to be the deliverer of his people from King Eglon. His left-handedness made him uniquely perfect for the job. (Read Judges 3:15-21).
Even my brother’s ambidextrous nature is mentioned in the Bible:
“they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.” 1 Chronicles 12:2 NIV (My brother, a retired detective, can shoot equally well with either hand).
What joy to find out that we lefties weren’t actually cursed by the devil, but that God has created all of us in our own special way and that our uniqueness is perfectly suited to serve him.
I love the quote my kids’ pediatrician had in his office: “God Don’t Make No Junk!” It fills my heart with joy to know that I am not “less than.” I am just different.
PIN THIS!
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
