PODCAST

Really Great Hugs

August 21st, 2023

Philemon 1:1-7

Everyone needs at least one person in their lives who gives great hugs. A good hug is like the perfect glass of iced tea on a hot summer’s day. You need it to quench your thirst. It touches the soul in just the right way. It leaves you feeling refreshed.

I think that the writer of Philemon was talking about someone who gave really good hugs. Onesimus seems to have been an encourager, a listener, someone who just recharged the spirit of others with his presence. Others welcomed him with open arms, knowing they were about to be rejuvenated.

There is someone out there who needs you to give them the equivalent of a soul-soothing hug. Perhaps it’s not a hug. It could be a smile, a phone call, a text . . . anything infused with God’s love. Who is that someone? It might be someone you know well or have yet to meet. It might be a brief encounter or it might be an ongoing task. Ask God to show you who these people are and to give you an opportunity, through the Spirit’s leading, to quench their thirst.

Author: Andrea Talley

Tags: Compassion