A Loving Touch and Blessing
I think it's interesting that research has shown that when a baby is touched and hugged, it has a powerful effect on the baby's mental, emotional, and physical development, both in the short and long term. The power of touch is so important because it delivers a blessing of love and approval. For babies to truly thrive, they need to be held and touched soothingly.
Throughout the Bible, we see people not only speak a blessing to others but physically transfer it by touch. In Matthew 19, parents brought their children to Jesus to have Him place His hands on them, pray for them, and bless them. "Let the children come to Me," He said. Parents, such as the patriarch Isaac in Genesis 27, bless their children, often through the act of physically placing their hands on them. Isaac said to Jacob, "Come close to me," and he hugged and kissed his son before he transferred the blessing. At the time, Jacob was a fully grown man, so it's never too late to transfer a blessing to your child. You may think your children already know you love them, but what would happen if you give them a hug and say, "I bless you"? There's a transferable spiritual blessing in that hug.
Do you know what that touch means? It's a personal acceptance. If I reach out and touch you, it's saying there's no barrier between you and me. Never underestimate the power when you lovingly touch and embrace your children. From the time our children were very little, Joel and I would hold their little hands, put our hands on their head, and pray for them. They experienced this transfer of blessings so many times as children and even now as adults. As parents, we need to understand that we have spiritual authority from God to impart blessings in their lives.
The prodigal son in Luke 15 had taken his father's inheritance, wasted it all on a party lifestyle, and ended up feeding pigs. He decided it was better to return home and offer himself as a hired servant to his father. He didn't know that when his father saw him coming from afar, he would run to him and throw his arms around him and kiss him. That embrace and kiss and blessing from his father disarmed the shame and insecurities that young man had. His father was saying, "I forgive you, and there is no distance between us. You are my son, and I bless you!" I bet that young man was never the same. He had his father's blessing. He was loved well.
How long has it been since you've hugged and blessed your kids?
Throughout the Bible, we see people not only speak a blessing to others but physically transfer it by touch. In Matthew 19, parents brought their children to Jesus to have Him place His hands on them, pray for them, and bless them. "Let the children come to Me," He said. Parents, such as the patriarch Isaac in Genesis 27, bless their children, often through the act of physically placing their hands on them. Isaac said to Jacob, "Come close to me," and he hugged and kissed his son before he transferred the blessing. At the time, Jacob was a fully grown man, so it's never too late to transfer a blessing to your child. You may think your children already know you love them, but what would happen if you give them a hug and say, "I bless you"? There's a transferable spiritual blessing in that hug.
Do you know what that touch means? It's a personal acceptance. If I reach out and touch you, it's saying there's no barrier between you and me. Never underestimate the power when you lovingly touch and embrace your children. From the time our children were very little, Joel and I would hold their little hands, put our hands on their head, and pray for them. They experienced this transfer of blessings so many times as children and even now as adults. As parents, we need to understand that we have spiritual authority from God to impart blessings in their lives.
The prodigal son in Luke 15 had taken his father's inheritance, wasted it all on a party lifestyle, and ended up feeding pigs. He decided it was better to return home and offer himself as a hired servant to his father. He didn't know that when his father saw him coming from afar, he would run to him and throw his arms around him and kiss him. That embrace and kiss and blessing from his father disarmed the shame and insecurities that young man had. His father was saying, "I forgive you, and there is no distance between us. You are my son, and I bless you!" I bet that young man was never the same. He had his father's blessing. He was loved well.
How long has it been since you've hugged and blessed your kids?