Putting our children to bed always lends itself to some great memories. Tonight, as Bonny & I were tucking Saydie in to sleep our daughter wanted to make sure she said one last thing to her Daddy. "Daddy, you be careful walking down the stairs...I can't hug you if you're broken!" Her simple gesture melted my heart (which means I AM in trouble as she gets older!!), and it also caused me to think about Jesus.
Jesus was a master at a lot of things, but none more prevalent than His ability to make the "unnoticed" or "untouchable" or "unlovable" people feel exactly the opposite...to be seen, cared for and loved!
Imagine for a moment if no one ever took time for you. How would that make you feel? I know I would feel insignificant and unloved...that's for sure! But when people do pause to notice, give you encouragement or some other form of acknowledgement, it makes you feel like you matter, doesn't it?
There are so many biblical stories about Jesus, but the ones swirling around in my head right now are those containing moments where Jesus would physically touch people, not in a sexual or perverted way, but in a way that simply stated they had value. Jesus would help people get up off the ground, He used his hands (and spit) to heal a blind man's sight, and He coddled children on His lap. In each of these instances, Jesus use physical touch to demonstrate love and care for others.
My daughter made the statement that she couldn't hug me if I was broken, but isn't it often the broken who need a hug? A hug is more than words; it communicates what language sometimes cannot. A hug states that you matter, you exist and you are seen. Our Canadian culture doesn't embrace hugging like some other cultures do, but I think that we may see drastic change in our society if we consciously took more time for others...and one way we can begin doing this may be through a hug or high five.
Here is the challenge I'm laying down for myself and for others...become a hugging/high-five-ing bandit!! Yep, that's right...leave all the social norms behind and follow Jesus' lead. Take time to demonstrate to those whom you care about that you appreciate them with a hug or a high five. Instead of walking past the broken in your life, stop and give them a hug or a high five just to let them know that you see them and that they have value. I'm excited to see what may change in my life as a result of me consciously choosing to demonstrate my desire to care for others by becoming a hugging/high-five-ing bandit! Will you join me?