Are you a hugger? Living in the frigid north – and I’m not talking about the temperatures outside – chances are good that it’s not one of your favorite activities. You might tolerate it but would seldom initiate it. Well, here’s fair warning. Today is National Hugging Day. Prepare yourself!
When I met my Kentucky-bred wife, I had no idea what I was getting in to. The first time I brought her north, she was stunned by the – shall we say – emotionally distant and detached culture. When she took me south, I was stunned by the emotion, period! I got hugged, kissed, cheeks pinched, patted on the back, and talked to like I was a celebrity.
I’ll never forget, and my wife won’t let me forget the time that she took me to the restaurant where she worked. There was this nerdy guy they affectionately called Radar from the television show M*A*S*H. Do you know what they did immediately? They HUGGED! This emotionally repressed northern boy got lit like a roman candle on the Fourth of July. I was so hot, and I exploded, creating a mushroom cloud over LaRue County.
Nothing was wrong with what they did. It wasn’t sexual or romantic. It was just a friendly gesture like shaking hands. But I’m northern. I didn’t hug. I might hug my mom if pushed but I didn’t hug my dad or grandparents or anyone else. That would have been weird. This was even before the days of “bro hugs.” If you saw a group of kids hugging, they had better be jumping up and down after winning a State championship in basketball. Otherwise, it just didn’t happen, especially with guys.
I also will never forget the day my wife broke the cultural barriers and brought a little bit of hugging to First Baptist Church. I don’t remember why but she hugged Bro. Bob
Boothman. His response? “Hey, I like that! I could get used to that.” Bro. Bob became a hugger overnight and the hugging has never stopped. Amen!!!
I’ve got to say that I really like seeing that at church. When the family gets together, there’s a lot of hugging going on. Oh, there are some that you can read it on their faces, a fear that someone might hug them. But most share that totally proper embrace, showing and giving it freely, never inappropriately.
This was definitely the culture of the Bible.
Genesis 29:13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
Genesis 33:4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Ecclesiastes 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Acts 20:1 And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.
Acts 20:36-38 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. (37) And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, (38) Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.
Can you imagine Jesus hugging us in Heaven? Can we imagine resting in His arms? Hopefully, we can. According to John 10:27-30, the child of God is already in the Father’s hands. Mark 9:36-37 gives us this familiar story. “And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, (37) Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.”
The Old Testament seems to look towards that day. Rest in this remarkable passage today found in Deuteronomy 33:26-27. “There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. (27) The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…”
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
