I met with someone once who was going through a tough time, a very tough time. Even before she spoke, even before she told her story, I could see the battle going on inside—the battle to continue on or just give up!

Have you ever seen anyone like that? You would know it right away. You can see it in their face, in their walk, in their posture. You can feel it in their handshake—weak, no energy—and you can hear it in their voice. This person was ready to crumble. Don’t even think about adding another burden into their life; they can’t even handle what they’ve got.

Life is not fair. You could give them the greatest pep talk, but they won’t be able to hear it. You could tell them they need to turn lemons into lemonade—they won’t even know where to begin. We have all met someone like that, and sometimes, we have probably been that person ourselves. So, what can get them through that moment, that day, that trial? Love and touch!

Once a leper came and knelt in front of him and begged to be healed. “If you want to, you can make me well again,” he pled. And Jesus, moved with pity, touched him and said, “I want to! Be healed!” Immediately the leprosy was gone—the man was healed.
Mark 1:40–42

The leper was broken. In fact, he blocked Jesus’s path, and Jesus couldn’t ignore him. He asked Jesus to heal him, but what did Jesus do first? He had pity on him; he touched him, and then he healed him. Love and touch! Isn’t that what we want, too? When we are having a tough time, we just want someone to show us love, to touch our shoulder, our elbow, our hearts—someone to care for us.

So today, let us thank the Lord for the many blessings in our lives—there are so many. And we pray that our eyes are opened, so we can see those who need a little more help today, a little more love today, and a little more touch today.

Lord, give us the courage to reach out and touch someone. Let them know that although we may not have an answer for them, we sure do have a heart for them!

Have a Touching Day.