The Transformative Power of Meaningful Touch and Blessing

One of the most striking things about Jesus to me is of all of the great teachers that have ever lived so far as I know I don't know if anyone who is the master of the touch the way that Jesus was so that when little children were brought to him and in the ancient world they were down at the bottom of the status pole his own disciples uh said to their parents you know the Master's got too much to do he doesn't have time for this and that would have been kind of understood in that ancient world but Jesus says no let them come to me and then the text says uh in one version of this story and he took them in his arms and he blessed them. [00:04:54]

There is a hunger inside every one of us to be blessed and where that starts when we're real little is just to be touched Gary used to talk about how for little children when something was touch that's kind of when it became real ever go to Disneyland I kind of like going to Disneyland and if you're there with a little kid and all of a sudden they see goofy or Mickey Mouse or Snow White when there is a hug and they can touch then they become real. [00:03:44]

Moved with compassion this professor leaned over gave her a hug and then kissed her on her cheek where the birth mark was and said that's okay God and I still think you're beautiful Dorothy cried uncontrollably for almost 20 minutes soon other students had gathered around her and were offering her their comfort as well when she finally could talk as she dab the tears from her eyes she said to the professor I have wanted so much for someone to hug me and say what you said why couldn't my parents do that my mother won't even touch my face. [00:03:01]

And certainly not touched and the leper comes to Jesus and asks to be cleansed and uh leprosy was the one uh malady in the you might have not noticed this if you read scripture much where um it wasn't said to be healed it was said to be cleansed because a leper was unclean and Jesus um reaches out and touches the man and he touches the man before he says the word that cleanses the man that heals the man he touches the man when according to the law it was still against the law to touch that man because that man was a leper and no Rabbi would touch him with a 10-ft pull but Jesus did because Jesus kind of understood he had a blessing to give um Jesus life was more contagious than the lepers leprosy. [00:06:00]

Gary used to talk about meaningful touch you might put your hand on somebody's shoulder or give somebody a hug or just shake their hand and um give it a squeeze as my wife would say when you're at the end of it now it's not just any touch Gary said he cited a study from UCLA let me get this information right where um uh it showed that touching can actually lower a person's blood pressure um uh uh and in fact this study found just to maintain emotional and physical health men and women need 8 to 10 meaningful touches each day. [00:08:38]

God has created us uh in such a way that um when we act towards other people to give to them to try to help them to notice them to care about them when I do that for somebody else um I receive joy and care and power and strength and healing inside of me and that's why at the very beginning of this movement of God's people when God is talking to Abraham he says I will bless you and you will be a blessing and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed by you. [00:07:56]

Today uh bless somebody and in particular keep in mind meaningful touch Gary used to talk about meaningful touch you might put your hand on somebody's shoulder or give somebody a hug or just shake their hand and um give it a squeeze as my wife would say when you're at the end of it now it's not just any touch Gary said he cited a study from UCLA let me get this information right where um uh it showed that touching can actually lower a person's blood pressure. [00:08:34]

We live in a world that is often so starved for touch elderly folks um maybe people that don't live within a family can go days at a time just without skin on skin so today you can receive a Blessing by being a blessing give the gift of meaningful touch in your story will become part of somebody else's story and that's when your story starts to get great. [00:10:04]

What jesus carried within him was more contagious than what lepers and Sinners and the self self-righteous carod and if he could just get close enough to people if he could just touch them if he could just touch them they would catch it so get close enough today for somebody to catch your faith your compassion your joy your generosity because here's the great secret when it comes to blessing and this is the law of the Kingdom the best way to have a blessing is to be a blessing. [00:07:00]

Gary said one time he was talking about that in a marriage seminar and he saw a husband lean over to his wife go one two three four so like that the finger poke is not a meaningful touch de a moment today and with somebody in your life in a way that is appropriate and respectful and honoring just God. [00:09:31]

Jesus says no let them come to me and then the text says uh in one version of this story and he took them in his arms and he blessed them or another time when a leper comes to Jesus and of course leprosy was uh the scourge of the ancient world uh it was in many ways what uh AIDS was at the height of its greatest destructiveness and fear in our own Society something that also had a moral stigma that would cause people to be rejected. [00:05:26]

The best way to have a blessing is to be a blessing God has created us uh in such a way that um when we act towards other people to give to them to try to help them to notice them to care about them when I do that for somebody else um I receive joy and care and power and strength and healing inside of me. [00:07:56]