“Greet one another with a kiss of love...” --1 Peter 5:4
I am participating in a group on Flickr called “52 Weeks of Gratitude~”. I love and am thankful for big, warm hugs and soft kisses. During our Sunday morning worship services at church, we have a time of greeting one another. While a few may greet a close relative or loved one with a kiss on the cheek, most simply shake hands, and some are like me, who love to give hugs. I especially delight in the hugs and soft kisses of children, because they are genuine expressions of love and trust and not an attempt to get something more in return. As a child of God, I sometimes wish I could give my heavenly Father a hug, but when I consider His awesome holiness, I think I would be more like the immoral woman who fell at Jesus feet. She washed his feet with her tears and hair, anointed them with oil, and kissed them out of genuine love (Luke 7:36-50).
I also think of how Jesus must have been with all the little children who loved Him. When we read that Jesus "...blessed them", please don't think our Lord was somber and solemn! Can't you see Him sitting with little kids just crowded around laughing and giggling and Him laughing with them? And hugging them and they Him? How refreshing that must have looked and how surprising it would seem to some of us! Yet maybe that's a key? Didn't the Lord say we had to become like little children to receive the Kingdom?
Do you know someone who could use a big, warm hug... or a gentle kiss today?
I loved this post! Yes, I have often thought of how Jesus was with the little children. He definitely loved them more than they could even know... and I'm sure He showed it. The Bible says that "God is love." He doesn't just love, he IS love. I think that's pretty awesome. To me, every time we experience loving or being loved, we are experiencing a part of God. How could He be more wonderful than He is?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the beautiful, thoughtful writing! George