WHY HUG?

I am often asked, "Don, why do you hug almost everyone you meet?" The answers are quite simple.

From early childhood I experienced hugs from my mom and dad. My father and mother hugged each other and all of us children. The warmth, tenderness, softness, yet strength of their bodies and arms still linger in my memory. It was like the softness of a pillow, the warmth of a comforter and the security of strong arms. Every day they hugged before he left for work and when he returned home.

My father died when I was twelve. My next older brother and I began working at the Episcopal Church. On Sundays, Mom woke us up at five in the morning and gave us a hug as we left to stoke the three coal furnaces in the basement of the church. The large high-beamed sanctuary had to be warm in time for the eight o'clock service.

Whenever my brothers, sister and I left for work and then school mom hugged us. Her hugging continued as long as she lived.

As my first marriage withered, hugs were lost in the drought of no longer showing affection toward each other. While growing through my divorce my self-image improved. I became more open to others and found comfort in hugs. I formed and led a divorced Christian singles' group. To encourage this group of heartbroken folk I hugged each one when they entered and left my home. To this day very few enter my home without a hug! The experience of fellowshiping with divorced singles who were struggling with guilt and rejection impressed upon my heart the importance of accepting individuals just as and where they are in their experiences. I saw unconditional love mixed with hugs bring healing and hope. Hugs became a basic part of my life.

When I became a licensed minister of pastoral care I found myself visiting many isolated elderly saints. They rarely had contact with others outside of their home. They needed to be recognized. What better way to do this than with a hug.

Over the years I developed a "Huggable Certificate," which I gave to some of these lonely isolated individuals. As word got around more and more folks asked if they could have a "Huggable Certificate."

I believe the main reason we should hug is because it is a very strong symbol of God's love for us. In Jeremiah 31:3 we read, The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you."(NKJ) I think of the phrase "drawn you" as our Lord embracing or hugging us.

This image is carried over into the New Testament when Christ says in John 12:32 and 33, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. This He said, signifying by what death He would die."(NKJ) When I look at Christ on the cross I see his arms out stretched to hug anyone who is drawn to Him. If He could do that in death why can't we reach out and hug others in life! To those who say, "Why Hug?"

I say, "Why not hug!"

Have you HUGGED someone today? Why not?

Don E. Cunningham 557 words 3-23-2007 ©