The Value of a Touch

 

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.  A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”

 

Monday, March 15, 2021 will always be remembered as my Hallelujah day! Al and I waited a month after getting our first COVID shot for our second appointment. I never thought I’d be so excited to get a shot!

 Our initial appointments were arranged through our health care network. There were two openings at one of the affiliated hospitals in Dearborn, ten minutes apart. We eagerly signed up, not worried about the thirty-minute drive from our house, although a major storm front was moving into the area.

The first vaccine went well, nothing out of the ordinary; and the journey to Dearborn on the freeway in both directions was slow but safe. Had we signed up for the vaccine one day later, our appointment would have been cancelled due to the onslaught of the blustery snowstorm. Then Al and I didn’t mind having to stay indoors, grateful for the way things had worked out prior to its arrival.

On March 15^th, the weather was better. It was a quick trip to Dearborn and home again. Unlike the first experience, we both had the same appointment time and once checked in were directed together to an empty table where a nurse was waiting. She recognized Al from his first vaccination and was happy to see him back for his second.

After Al introduced me to her, the friendly nurse noticed the pendant I was wearing. She read out loud the tiny printed words, “I will be grateful for this day,” on one side of the pendant and “Grateful,” “Give thanks,” and “Blessed” on the other.

“Well,” I explained, “I usually wear this at Thanksgiving. But this is my Hallelujah day! We are both very thankful to be getting our second vaccination!”

She smiled and nodded as she proceeded with the shots. After we were finished, she shared openly about something with which she was struggling. She was troubled and confused but said that she had prayed and asked God to show her what to do. There was an opportunity to pray with her on the spot. It felt good to say that simple prayer, knowing that it would give her support and encouragement and also by continuing to pray in coming days. How I wished that we could have given her a hug too!

That desire for physical contact is something most of us have expressed during this long pandemic. Oh, to be able to reach out and shake someone’s hand, to pray holding hands, to give a spontaneous hug or a pat on the shoulder. I’ve decided that when it’s okay to hug again, I’m going to go around to houses of friends and church family and deliver hugs! We haven’t even been able to hug our daughter and son-in-law since the pandemic started.

When we were at  Shanda and Chris’ home recently, sharing a birthday dinner in honor of their youngest son, and bowed our heads to say grace, someone reached over and took my hand. Glancing up, I realized it was my son-in-law.

It was the first time in over a year that we had held hands as a family.  How I appreciated that gesture! Maybe I had been feeling a little like the leper who approached Jesus fearfully, asking if He would be willing to heal him of the leprosy.

Untouchable, unclean, cast out…have you felt that way during this pandemic? Or maybe even prior to the pandemic? When Jesus actually reached out and touched the man with leprosy, his heart must have been filled with hope. Yes, Jesus was willing to heal him and furthermore, Jesus didn’t draw back. His touch demonstrated a love that was undeniable, accepting and transforming. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

“He Touched Me” (Bill Gaither Trio)

“Shackled by a heavy burden
'Neath a load of guilt and shame
Then the hand of Jesus touched me
And now I am no longer the same

He touched me, oh, He touched me
And oh, the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know
He touched me, and made me whole.”

 

*Matthew 8:1-3 NIV