“Touch is a powerful way to express love. A simple touch can reach deep into the soul of man. God is love and love is an expression of the touch of Jesus.” (Unknown Writer)
A few days ago I woke up around 2:00 a.m. That was too early for me on that day; wanted to get up around 4:00 a.m. I turn to my right to see if my wife was still in the bed. She was, but was not moving, not making a sound, and her sleep was not disturbed by my twisting and turning around, trying to get a comfortable sleeping position. Since I had been somewhat under the weather for that last three-four weeks, my concern level of course was heightened. I touched her arms, no movement; no reaction at all. I stroked her hair, but still no movement. I placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping to feel a pulse, nothing. I’m not panicking, but if this was a movie she would have been described as sleeping at depth-con four. One more effort to make sure she was okay, I placed my hand on her face, but still nothing. I was getting ready to repeat my regiment of touches, being concerned indeed, each touch was a touch of love. But all of a sudden, she moves, grabs the remote, and says, “It’s not even 2:30 in the morning! It’s too early Mark!” The way she said it, she should have just made it complete and use my middle name in her statement, “It’s too early Mark Lee! Sometimes she calls me Pastor, but not this time! I think she misread my touch. I was a touch of love and not a, are your ready grown people, not a touch for love. She goes back to sleep.
Later in the day I tell her why I was touching her, in my defense, all in respectable places, and explained that every touch was a touch of love. I asked her, “Did you ever check on me to see if I was still in the land of the living while I laid quietly and quite still on my side of the bed?” She says, “Yes, all the time!” She said she has gone to the point where she held a mirror under my noise, unbeknownst to me and when nothing else moved me, to make sure I was not playing opossum, she would go to her patented move or producing laughter from my mouth by tickling me near my armpits. My retort was, “Now do you understand what I was doing? Like your prodding, my touching was consisting of several touches, each that could be called a “The Touch Of Love.” We shared a good laugh, but agreed that we would keep looking out for each other in the quiet darkness of the night. We concurred that we should keep continue to put each other’s welfare first, rather than our own.
This is a true story, but it demonstrates what love does, as written in the verse below and repeated, often just repeated and not taken in regard as an admonition. And listen, Jesus loved us and instructed us to love one another. Without love for one another, love that is revealed in action, is their really any concern or care for others? Think about that this Saturday morning and as you meditate on love, thing about Jesus’ love, “No greater love has a man than he lay down his life for His friend.” Jesus did it for you and for me on Calvary! So let’s respond to His love, show our appreciation, attending to the Biblical instruction not to forsake the assembly of the saints! May you experience the touch of Jesus tomorrow and celebrate how He touched you one day and made you whole! Be blessed!
“Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit.” (I Corinthians 13:4-8 The Message Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King