Surviving on Hugs and Prayers

 We are called to Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6: 2 And never is that command more important than when there is a heavy burden to bear...like dealing with grief. 

This verse came to mind when I heard the voice of a dearest friend whispering in my ear: "I'm surviving on hugs and prayers."

Unimaginable loss can be devastating to the human heart and soul.  Believers in Christ, however, are given a way to manage such unbearable and crushing devastation by remaining connected.  My friend's expression: surviving on hugs and prayers, clearly demonstrate this principle.  Jesus has given us the ability to sustain one another through our connections to one another...and to Himself.  

The "hug" part of this fellowship combo reflects the necessity of our connection with our brothers and sisters in Christ...at a physical/presential level.  

Think about it...one can't give or receive a hug from the distance.  In the times of the Covid-19 pandemic, the phrase "virtual hugs" became famous.  We know, however, those can't really replace the real thing.  A hug involves being wrapped around the flesh and bones of one-another...and the deep comfort that comes through that gesture cannot be replicated virtually or from the distance.  There is something almost supernatural in an embrace.  I would never forget the feelings of safety and love I experienced every time my Dad gave me a hug.  As an adult, each time I visited Panama, he was always the first face I saw when the airport doors would slide open.  And his outstretched arms were always the first ones to greet me back home.  Today, my eyes inevitably scan the space looking for him every time I go down there...even though he's been gone for almost 10 years.  The lack of his hugs have left a great void in my life...but fortunately, I have the blessing of other hugs that have stepped in to try to fill it.

The prayer aspect of the combo reflects the connection with the Divine.  

Prayer is our immediate connection with Our Lord and Savior, and it is how our brothers and sisters have an opportunity to intercede for us before Our God.  We enlist our prayer warriors in our times of need, suffering, hardship, as well as in our time of rejoicing and jubilation.  Together we lift our petitions and praises to a God who listens and answers, and who is in there, with us, when two or three gather together in His Name (Matthew 18: 20).  In prayer, we join forces and witness how true it is that The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34: 18).  

We do survive on hugs and prayers.  That is the foundation of our faith: remaining connected to one another and to the Divine.  There isn't any other way to go through this life.  

May the Holy Spirit light up our path and guide us to staying connected in the Body of Christ to others and to Himself, so we may endure the heavy burdens we encounter on our way.  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!