There are many changes happening in our land which make our lives so much easier than they were just a few years ago. Our grandparents would take hours to prepare meals (thank God for frozen dinners, prepared foods, microwaves, etc.) and often devoted at least a day to getting the washing done (so few remember wash tubs, wringer washing machines, clothes lines and starching and ironing clothes).
However, in the midst of all of the advances, we have lost something that made that life so much better than what we have today. Tragically, we have lost the personal touch. We tend to criticize our young people today who text and do not talk, sometimes texting to other people who are in the same room. It is possible that those of us who are older have forgotten the importance of the personal touch in the relationships we have with others.
People in Bible times understood the importance in being personally involved in the lives of those around them. There are at least fifteen “kissers” in the Bible and almost all of these kisses have nothing to do with marriage. There are many more times when the Bible talks about saints embracing the special people in their lives.
Jesus clearly understood the importance of personal involvement in the lives of others. He talked personally with the woman at the well (John 4). He went and ate in the home of Simon the leper—what other Jew would consider eating at a leper’s house (Mark 14:3)! It is remarkable the language used to describe the time when little children were brought to Him—He touched them (Mark 10:13; Luke 8:15)!
So what does this have to do with our lives? It simply illustrates the importance of being personally, not remotely, involved in the lives of those around us. We all would much rather have a hug than a card randomly selected from a shelf. Children do not need sports trophies, they need the cheers of parents from the stands. Hurting wives do not need a box of chocolate, they need an apology and a hug from their husbands.
Brothers and sisters in Christ need personal attention from other Christians. There is a vast difference in email (even if includes an emoji), a message left on an answering machine and that of a personal visit at their homes or at the building—there is a reason the Bible talks about the holy kiss! We need to be like the Shepherd described by Isaiah, “He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isa. 40:11). God help us all to treat each other so tenderly. We all need to give and receive the personal touch.
Technology is great; tender personal touch is greater!