have you ever thought about how important a touch is to a person?
JESUS had a habit of touching the people that HE healed. luke 5.13 (lb), JESUS reached out and touched the man and HE said, “of course I will. be healed.” then the last part of the verse. and the leprosy left him immediately.
you may not be a doctor or a nurse, but do you think it is a good idea to touch somebody with leprosy? in that day, if you were a leper, you would walk down the street and cry out, “leper! leper!” and people would clear the way in front of you. but JESUS walked up to this person who no one even wanted to see their sores and HE touched his sores and HE healed him. JESUS used touch to heal. HE taught us to use touch.
when JESUS touched people it was the right kind of touch. it wasn't a phony touch. JESUS’ touch was genuine, real. and it wasn’t inappropriate. it certainly wasn’t sexual or violent. some of you have been the victim of that. but HIS touch was gentle and real. that touch often changed people’s lives. that touch often communicated things that nothing else did. never underestimate the power of touch.
a few years back there was an article on the power of touch. it talked about a study that was done with surrogate grandparents for children who had been abused and neglected. in this study, the surrogate grandparents gave massages to neglected and abused babies in a shelter. the babies slept better. they were more alert. they became more active and more sociable when they were awake because of the power of touch.
but that’s not the end of the story. the adults benefited too. the surrogate grandparents made fewer trips to the doctor’s office, they spent more time with their friends, they reported less anxiety and depression. the stress related hormones in their bloodstream decreased. all because of the power of touch.
someone asked a children’s pastor once, “what’s one of the mistakes you see parents make as their kids start getting older?” he said, “they stop hugging their kids. the guys start to look studly and the girls start to develop and they stop hugging.”
i’m not talking about inappropriate touch. i’m talking about hugging your kids. that touch can make a difference. now that my kid’s are adults, it’s still the right thing to do. you communicate love through touch. JESUS taught us to do that.
who do you need to heal through a simple touch this week?
just a thought from the front porch…
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