Although written in the 1940's, this short novel lay hidden in a trunk for decades until discovered in 1997, by Sharon Stone, the American actress. JACOB'S HANDS gives us a story of transcendence, love, greed, and redemption set against the backdrop of California in the 1920's in 141 pages.I'm not sure how I escaped reading Aldous Huxley when taking literature classes in high school and college, but curiosity caught hold in our local library when in the "H" section, and I chose JACOB'S HANDS, co-written with playwrite/novelist, Christopher Isherwood.
Jacob, protagonist, has the ability to heal, although this capability does not always work on everyone nor does it always work immediately. When a wealthy, young man with a debilitating condition asks Jacob to heal him, Jacob asks, "Do you want to be cured?"
Interesting question. Jacob's answer is even more captivating.
"There are folks that don't," Jacob tells the young man. "....They think they want to get well, but they don't inside. You can feel them holding on to their sickness. They know it and they've gotten used to it, and they don't know what they'll do without it. That scares them." pg 69
The young man decides that yes, he wants a new life, he wants to be healed. Jacob starts by telling him to "let go". Jacob keeps repeating, "Let go. I don't want you to hang on to yourself."
I cannot but help to make an analogy between our sinful souls and Jesus' saving grace. "Let go and let God" has become a popular phrase. Do we really want to be free of sin, or have we gotten used to it, comfortable with it, and don't know what we would do without it. It would change us.... Scary?
This novelette is really quite simple, almost child-like.
The same is true of each of us.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist, or a member of Mensa.You simply need to believe that Someone has more power than you or I will ever have and this is all you need to get through life.
Dream
Believe
Let go and let God.... and sometimes the best miracles happen in our hearts and minds.
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