The Word Became Flesh & Picked Up a Hammer
My papaw was a lifelong carpenter. He was an incredibly strong man who knew how to use his tools and when to use them. He was a master problem-solver and loved serving others.
The genius of his handiwork was not limited to his workshop, however. Papaw was a family man. He loved his wife, his children and his grandchildren—we all meant the world to him, even more so than his work. I remember the love in his eyes when he would look upon me and talk with me about life. He was a great man who had his priorities straight.
God placed skilled handymen in the world, like my papaw, as an example for us on our path to Heaven. It was a message so important to our livelihood that God Himself, when He took on human flesh, desired to submit to and imitate a handyman—St. Joseph—and He has called us all to follow suit.
Although the world often looks down upon handymen (and family men at that), there is great value in observing them. They hold mysterious truths that God is asking us to pay close attention to:
- Handymen are active: The work of a handyman is busy. He is constantly moving from one task to the next.
- Handymen have priorities & are goal oriented: Each week, handymen face many decisions. “Do I take on this project or that one? Do I help this person in need, or do I go home and spend time with my wife who’s struggling right now? What about my relationship with God?” When determining their path forward with every call-to-action, handymen weigh priorities, establish goals (large and small) and communicate when they choose not to move forward with a request.
- Handymen are master problem solvers who know how to use their tools well and when to use them: We’ve likely heard the saying, “A tool means nothing if you don’t know how to use ” Handymen know their tools, but they are not bound by them. They can think “outside the toolbox” so to speak, creating new tools to address unique situations.
- Handymen get the job done: Manual labor is a lost art, and there’s a reason society has slowly moved away from it: A handyman’s life is challenging and can take a real toll on a person’s mind and These workers know what it means to “carry your cross.” And yet, with all their suffering, they keep going until the task is complete. This fortitude marks the heroic, saintly spirit of a handyman.
- Handymen know how to rest well so they can work better: Being constantly active can be challenging but certainly has its perks. After a day of hard work, handymen know how to relax, kick back and enjoy the beauty of their hard work and all of creation—and their bodies and souls thank them for After a rejuvenating break, they’re ready to jump back into their craft.
- Handymen are humble: You don’t often hear of handymen living in mansions, driving flashy cars, or having a “nice office with a fancy view.” No, if they aren’t working out of their trucks, handymen tend to be tucked away down back hallways, in offices crammed full of toolboxes, lockers and drawers filled to the brim with random greasy parts, dirty keys and general “safe-keepings.” This doesn’t bother them. They don’t mind getting dirty or doing difficult work. And they don’t mind the quiet detachment from the world their careers afford them. In the end, they know where they stand, and that’s what matters most.
In this new column, “St. Joseph’s Tool Belt,” I will provide practical examples for spiritually imitating a handyman’s life: finding the tools God provided us, knowing how (and when) to use them and straddling the ever-challenging balance between home and work life.
Through these practical examples, I pray you will find inspiration to take on your own life’s challenges—and with a greater sense of faith, hope, and charity.
So, what’s up with handymen? And why would God the Son (after taking on our humanity) choose to imitate them? Handymen are an icon of what we need to become to survive this treacherous world: Like God the Father.
“The Word became flesh and picked up a hammer” – Jacob Imam, founding member of The College of St. Joseph.
Trenton Scroggins Trenton is the Director of Digital Engagement for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. [email protected]
This article appeared in the September 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.
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