Daily Devotion
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.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT)
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