Hope That EnduresSample

When You Just Need a Hug

Have you ever been in the midst of a difficult time and sensed that you desperately needed a hug?

Our church has a number of young men who are in or have been in drug treatment homes or facilities. Many have just recently been released from prison. They’re broken emotionally and hungry for love. They so touch my heart.

I’m a hugger by nature. As a Southern gal, I guess it’s part of my heritage. On Sunday mornings, many of those young men make a beeline for me, and I go down the line, giving grandma hugs and telling them that I love them. As he steps away, one young man always says, “You give the best hugs.”

I have to disagree with him just a bit. My cousin gives the best hugs ever. She pulls you close and it’s like you’ve been wrapped in love. We need those kinds of hugs, don’t we? Hugs that can say “I love you” without ever speaking words. Hugs fill us with comfort when we’re hurting. Acceptance when we feel unwanted. And the knowledge that we’re family—even when there’s no official blood relation.

Those are the moments when hugs from heaven arrived just as I needed them, and I felt God hold me close to Him, enveloping me in His love.

Friends, there have been so many times when I’ve been as emotionally needy as those young men in drug recovery. One was when my dad committed suicide and my world fell apart. The heartache was too deep for words, and there was no way to make the situation better. I didn’t feel like I could take a full breath. Tears constantly lurked under the surface, and it was all I could do to fumble my way through each day. There was no doubt that I was struggling.

I suspect that many of you feel shattered right now. You wonder how you’re going to function. It takes great effort to simply force yourself out of bed in the morning. You desperately need a hug to help you through the day.

The good news is that our story doesn’t end in despair. I learned that firsthand in the dark days following my dad’s death, when I grieved his loss and also grieved that he was so sad that he would take his own life. I was shattered. But that’s when I learned that Jesus doesn’t leave us comfortless. His precious promises are true.

I learned God’s character through that experience in a way I never would have otherwise. I drew closer to Him because I needed Him so much. Those are the moments when hugs from heaven arrived just as I needed them, and I felt God hold me close to Him, enveloping me in His love.

Precious friend, if you’re hurting today, draw near to the One who can make you whole again. Feel His arms wrap around you in a heavenly hug. And learn—just as I did—that His grace truly is sufficient for all that you need.

Prayer

Father, I’m hurting today, with a deep pain that seems unfixable. My world has been rocked by circumstances I still have trouble wrapping my mind around. I need comfort. People try to help. They mean well, but most haven’t walked the path I’m currently on, and they don’t truly understand what I’m going through. I need a hug from heaven, Lord. Your child needs to feel Your comfort. I’m so grateful that You promise to comfort me as a mother comforts her children, and I need that today. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Why are hugs so important when you’re hurting?

2. What is a time from your past when God has given you hugs of comfort?

3. How can you use what you’ve learned from your pain to give hugs of comfort and love to others?

Reach the World Around You

Sometimes the best words to say when someone is hurting are nothing. Just wrap them in a hug. You don’t even have to say “I love you” because your hug will have already done that. Ask God to put three people on your heart who are going through difficult times—and then go give them a love-filled hug. You’ll discover it will also make you feel better.