Thursday, November 01, 2007

The Power of a Hug

There is a power in bodily contact that cannot be overlooked in both the healing ministry and life in general. The hug is an awesome thing. Think about it...two people embracing...not sexually but lovingly. There are numerous women and men - yes - men, who I regularly hug when we meet. Words fail to adequately describe the compulsion to hug someone.

One woman runs a diner and whenever I go in there, she stops whatever she's doing and comes for a hug. I'm empty until she hugs me...and apparently she is as well. A local man of God hugs me whenever we encounter each other in the community...nearly every time we're at the same place at the same time. A greeter at the local Walmart...same thing. And nearly every person I encounter for whom we've had a time of healing together...hugs when we meet.

I recently read of a woman in India who has a hugging ministry. She'll go to an area and people will line up for hours to be hugged by her. Many claim experiencing a healing after they have been hugged by her. She once stayed up hugging people until 7am the next morning, not stopping hugging until the last person received theirs. There's something about a hug.

I know that healing comes about when calling upon Jesus - the word alone is sufficient. But to me, there is an icing on the cake that comes from a warm embrace. I become flush with desire to express my love for certain people whenever I see them...and it typically results in a hug.

There's a funny way of describing proper hugs within a church environment: It must be side to side lasting no longer than 8 seconds. I hope the church police don't follow me around...I'll be in trouble. But all kidding aside, there is power in a sincere, loving, Christian hug. I can't imagine not being able to share the love of our Lord if there should ever be a law forbidding hugs!

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