For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. .
– Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5,
“Hug, squeeze, kiss, wave, bye-bye,” the little-girl version of me said every time my dad left for work. One morning, I slept in and missed his departure, missed our ritual. My mom tells me I howled inconsolably, to the point that she had to call him and ask him to come home for his “hug, squeeze, kiss, wave, bye-bye” (which of course he did).
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
As I spoke this week to a friend and colleague serving in Delaware, I was struck by her words. “My grandchildren are staying with me now,” she said, “because their parents have to work. But for the first three weeks of this, I was sheltering alone. I didn’t hug a single person for three weeks.”
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Dinner on the table. Time to say grace. “Gracious God,” Ellie began. “I hope we can hug Nanie and Poppy and Eric and Grammy and Papa soon. Love God. Amen.” In a time of social distancing, my five-year-old is praying for hugs.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
As I watched the video tribute to healthcare workers in New York City, one image above all remained with me. A parent, still dressed in scrubs, returns home… probably for the first time in a long time. A toddler rushes toward him, arms stretched, eager for the long-awaited hug. And in response, the parent has to step back, arms extended in warning. It’s not safe to hug daddy right now.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
“Mama!” Ellie said as she bounded into the living room. “Huggies!” She leapt into my lap as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I buried my face in her hair and squeezed even tighter. Lord, let me never take this for granted, I prayed.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Lord, in this time when we refrain from embracing, hold us ever closer.
God’s embrace is far-reaching, friends. Remember:
Our God is bigger than coronavirus.
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too.
We are people blessing people.
We are Wesley Church.
Blessings,
Pastor Candy
Want to know more?
- Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
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- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
