I wonder if you are the sort of person who likes to receive warm hugs. I can appreciate some people are not – and it is important to respect any boundaries they choose to have in place. Perhaps they are shy. Perhaps they may feel they do not know us well enough. Perhaps they have been hurt in the past in some way that makes it difficult for them now to hold or be held by others.
On the other hand, over the years, I have met with several women for whom this was an essential part of our time together. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the long, warm hug before they left was equally as healing and affirming for them as all the words I might have spoken throughout the one or two hours we met.
It can be a wonderful experience too when we see a friend or family member again after a long absence and can hold them close. And I find those warm hugs from our grandchildren when they arrive for a visit priceless too – especially those from our grandson who may appear aloof at times yet underneath has such a warm, caring heart. Those arms around us tell us the other person is pleased to see us again, that they love us and that they value our presence in their lives.
Imagine then being held close by the God of the universe! Imagine what that tells us about God’s heart of love for each one of us, about the value God places on us and about God’s deep desire to care for us and do life with us in general. I sat and pondered all this recently, after listening to an online devotional that focused on Moses’ words to the Israelites, reminding them how God led them on from Mt Horeb, through the desert and right to the edge of the Promised Land and how he himself as their leader had responded when they refused to enter:
Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’ Deuteronomy 1:29–31
Just as God carried those Israelites long ago, as a father would carry his child, so God still lovingly longs to carry each of us today, holding us close, protecting and providing for us. As I reflected on this beautiful image, I remembered too a small, cardboard plaque that hung on my bedroom wall as a child and that I always particularly liked, even though I did not fully understand what the words meant back then:
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27
Whenever life overwhelms me, I am so grateful that, as God’s child, I can run to my heavenly Father, receive his warm hug and be held close in those loving arms that will always be there for me. And right now, whatever is happening for you, may you truly sense God’s loving arms holding you close too.
Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Blog 