Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is
far above rubies.
The Day
God Hugged Me
By Laura J. Bagby
After enduring a series of emotionally draining
weeks, feeling unloved and in need of reassurance,
I cried out to the Lord, "I know that You say that
You love me, but I don't KNOW that You love me.
God, help me understand that You really do love
me." I was desperate to understand this simple
concept that kept confounding me.
I knew that God loved
me from an intellectual standpoint. I knew that He
would think well of me when I did right and would
somehow tolerate me when I did wrong. But somehow
I couldn't understand the unconditional love that
the Bible says defines my Lord and Savior, the
kind that doesn't have strings attached, the kind
that doesn't depend on good behavior or a perfect
report card.
For about a week, I
prayed that prayer going to and from work. Then
one particular day, I came home feeling very
harried. I struggled to get the groceries in from
the car and remain pleasant to my neighbor Tiffany
and her 4-year-old son Jaelon, who were preparing
to leave.
And then it happened.
After several trips to
the house, I was finally down to my last few bags
of groceries. I was heading for the door, when I
heard little Jaelon ask in his gentle voice, "Can
I give you a hug?"
I was flabbergasted
that a child who didn't even know my name, who had
never spent time at my house, who I had passed day
after day without saying "hello" wanted to hug ME.
Who am I that I deserve a hug?
Despite my initial
hesitancy, deep down I was thrilled. I actually
couldn't wait to get hugged! So I put my groceries
down, walked over to that sweet little boy, knelt
down, and received God's wonderful blessing.
It was so simple, and
yet such a pure act of love. A hug from a little
child -- no pretense, no hidden motives. Just a
kid who saw a worried adult struggling and figured
a hug would make it all better.
And he was right. I
could barely fight back the tears of joy as I
contemplated that brief gesture of acceptance. I
quickly realized God had just answered my prayer
in the most tangible and personal way.
If you need His touch,
as I did, ask the Lord to show Himself to you. And
then, wait expectantly for His outstretched arms
to bring you comfort, safety and provision.
