JESUS HUGS

As I stood in line at the grocery this morning to pick up my prescription, a grandmother and a kindergarten-age boy were waiting to speak to a pharmacist. I wondered if he was home from school sick, especially after I saw him lift the front of his shirt and wipe his nose (much to his grandmother’s horror).

He caught my eye and I gave him a big smile, and to my surprise his eyes lit up and he came bounding across the space to throw himself into my arms. I’d squatted down in preparation for the onslaught and got a big bear-hug around my neck. The grandmother looked taken aback and mouthed to me, “Does he know you?” I grinned back and mouthed back, “No.”

In my arms he laughed, gazed into my eyes with a big smile, and then headed back over to grandma. The woman in front of me was still involved with getting her meds, and after a few minutes the boy once again rushed over for another hug, and then, after we’d both finished our business he flew over to say good-bye, nearly knocking me over with his exuberant hug.

On my way home I was smiling as I thought about my hugs and thanking Jesus for them, saying that I guess Jesus knew I needed some hugs. The boy thought I was someone who was special to him, and I suddenly realized that it was Jesus hugging me, using that little boy. (I did sanitize well afterwards, nothing personal Jesus.)

Have you ever suddenly realized that you had been physically interacting with Jesus and didn’t realize it? He uses humans to physically minister to us but we don’t often realize that it’s from him. Many years ago, I had a friend named Judith who suffered from seizures, and she had taught me what to do if she had one. She told me that she was aware of all that was going on around her during the seizure, she just couldn’t talk. On her first visit to my house, the moment she stepped inside the door, she slid down into a pile on the floor as she began a seizure. I pulled her off the rocker of the rocking chair and straightened her out, afterwards massaging her legs to help her relax. I then gave her an overripe banana as she needed something to eat.

Later that night as I washed dishes I was suddenly struck by the fact that I had entertained Jesus in my house that afternoon. I’d gotten to love on him, and he had sat on my couch eating a banana! I was so overwhelmed that I began to cry.

Of course, we can say that anytime we interact with others they represent Jesus, but there are certain times when it really hits home.

Besides my hugs, something else made today special, and that was discovering that Kroger had lemon squares on sale, so I bought both boxes of them (I freely admit that I’m greedy), coming home and having a tea party while reading “Ordering Your Private World” (by Gordon McDonald) on my Kindle. My Kindle battery ran out right as I was chewing my last bite so I had to savor my hot tea sitting on the edge of my bed with my Kindle plugged in and propped up on it while I read. Ah well, I still enjoyed it.

The mail arrived and I had a small package from my brother in North Carolina. As soon as I touched it I knew what it was—creek glass he’d picked up as he left our missionary reunion in NC last week. He had mentioned that he’d found a great place to look and couldn’t resist checking it out, and he’d sent me some beautiful pieces.

So, three wonderful surprises before eleven o’clock this morning!