By Tanya Jolliffe
Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought I would be cut off from family and friends for weeks or months on end. Never could I have imagined that in a free country, we would have weeks of not worshiping with others in a church community building, especially during Holy Week and Easter. I wouldn’t have thought that I would be prevented from celebrating birthdays in person with loved ones or that loved ones would be prevented from celebrating with us. I’m sure there are others that could never have imagined working from home while directly assisting with the education of their children. Others couldn’t have imagined that staying home with young children could have become more challenging because of limited support and activity outlet options. I know I am not unique in these experiences or reflections.
In general, things for my family have been easy compared to many others. My husband and I are working from home, but we have plenty of space for each of us to do what we need to do. We like each other and have enjoyed some wonderful, deep conversations that we previously would not have had the time to dive into. We have Zoom access to family and friends to keep us connected. We have plenty of food and the ability to store it for several weeks, so we don’t have to venture out to shop too often. Our children are grown and gone, and though their employment has changed, it has not been disrupted. It has been difficult to keep track of the day of the week and the date as we live in this Groundhog Day experience, but we realize we have it better than many others.
With all of those blessings, I find that what I have missed most is hugging my children and my parents. Like many families, it is our tradition to hug hello and good-bye. I suppose like many things we have experienced over these last few months, you don’t realize what you value most until you don’t have it. Thinking about the loss of physical touch for myself and so many others reminded me of studies about the importance of physical touch. Studies found physical touch can improve immune function which can reduce diseases. Studies found physical touch lowers heart rate and blood pressure. At a time when physical touch is needed most, it is missing for so many.
As I was praying for those that are without the loving hugs of family and friends, I was reminded of the story of the woman in the Bible who believed she would be healed through touch.
“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped” (Luke 8:43-44).
The description in Mark 5:25-34 provides more details about the encounter. Several things stand out to me in relation to what we are experiencing. The first is that the woman knew where to turn when it seemed there were no other options. She had faith that if she could just get to him, she would be helped. Not only did she do whatever was needed to be able to reach him, she had deep and abiding faith that touching him would heal her.
In Mark we learn another important piece of information about the encounter.
“Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33).
Not only did she have the faith to act, she also opened up and told him the WHOLE truth. At this time of uncertainty, when we are all trying to be strong for those around us, two important truths stand out. The first is that we need to have faith that we can get to Jesus. Then we must do whatever it takes to make the time because He can provide what we need. The second is that we need to go to Jesus with the whole truth of what we are feeling. Talking to him about what we are seeing, hearing, and experiencing is a healthy way to respond instead of turning to other unhealthy alternatives such as food or substances. Go to Him as often as you need each day. He is there to listen and to wrap you up in a powerful hug.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
