Untouched

What happens without touch? I heard on the radio this week that each person should get at least 4 hugs a day in order to just "survive", let alone thrive. Wow, I'm seriously in a deficit in that area. I should have claimed bankruptcy years ago. I imagine others would find themselves in the same predicament. No bonds are formed, no touch exists regularly, people reach out sporadically through technology, but it's not the same. Now when we hear the word technology we think of progress, moving forward in our day to day lives. But is moving forward really a good thing? Who actually defines what moving forward means? It seems that the more things become technologically advanced, the less people in general are needed, which in turn results in less interaction. You cannot reach a sales representative on the phone. People are eliminated from the retail equation because of self-checkouts. We can check in at a computer at the airport. Will the next step be for a robot to actually bring me my food at a restaurant? So not only in the work place where we conduct business, but in our social lives as well, it seems, there will be a lack of personal contact. No personal letters received. No phone calls made. We only text, send email, post "statuses". Short blips of info spewed out to a person, friends and acquaintances, the world. We are too busy going here, doing this, doing that, being "busy". What are we producing that on our death bed we can hold on to? Communication by text, facebook, computer...such plastic communication. Plastic is cold and hard and has no character. Gone are the days of the personal touch. We are raising the first generation of kids who may never receive a letter in the mail and who may never read a book "from cover to cover" because they have the Kindle. Wow, that truly scares me. What will this full technological age bring besides lots of those who are untouched?

Are You on Life Support

Even though this expression has a negative connotation, shouldn't we all be on life support? Not physically but emotionally and spiritually? No doubt about it, we must definitely depend on our Father in heaven, but we also are in dire need of the support from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Spiritual siblings, whose hands are willing to hold us and hearts willing to love us and help us carry our burdens. We should not derive our significance and security from our family and friends, but their encouragement is irreplaceable.

Encouragement from others is like experiencing an emotional face lift. It's a jumpstart for the heart! It's the gift of courage and it doesn't cost anything for us to give and the rewards we reap are priceless. Building each other up is so important, because the way we treat each other has a domino effect on all those around us. And if we all focused on having servant hearts and hands, we would be one step closer to having the Lords Kingdom on earth.

We were not put on this earth to go it alone or endeavor for selfish desires alone. If one were to analogize and those that know me well, know I love a good analogy, here's how one might describe a person with no "life support". If a car does not have any gas, it goes nowhere. You might be able to tow it, role it or push it down a hill, but eventually it will stop going forward without the energy source it so desperately needs. I believe that's what encouragement is for humans. We may get towed along by lifes current or pushed down by rough times or drug along by the pressures of life, but we will not go very far without love in action on our behalf. We all know how expensive gas has become, but yet I don't believe one can even put a price on encouragement or love in action toward others.

Price of a gallon of gas $2.50
Price of the car we are riding in $15,000
The ones that are in the car with us, choosing to join us on the ride through lifes journey...PRICELESS

Faith is...

Waiting on God, when the only thing you desire is to get involved and "take care of it" by yourself.

Resting in God, when everything in you wants to take control and keep saying or doing until things are better or how you think they should be.

Seeking the Lord in prayer, instead of seeking out friends to complain to or spending time alone worrying.

Leaving it in His, more than capable, hands instead of analyzing the problem to death in your mind to try and fix it.

Worshipping and trusting in our Lord and Saviour.