Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Culture in Crisis... What's in a hug?
I just recently stumbled across this video on YouTube. Apparently it got comphrensive national coverage a few years ago...maybe you have already seen it. As I watched it my first impression was..this confrontational approach is off-putting. However, it provoked a deeper meditiation..Why would such a benign offer create a feeling of mistrust? As I watched the lack interaction of the passerby what came to mind is how individualistic our culture has become and how seductive culture is in the life of the Christian. Our nation, founded as "one nation under God", with common beliefs and purpose has moved away from the concept of community and in the words of John Locke has become a nation of "solo sapiens".
The modern Church has followed the trend of culture and has become a collection of individuals ;rather than the "true community" founded in the love of Christ it was intended to be. The overstated elephant in the room is that people deeply desire a sense of belonging, while some fully embrace it; many are hesitant to trust in it. This reality has provoked many Christians leaders awake at night. So many have experienced a lack of acceptance and unconditional love, in the one place that advertises such a reality...the church. Have you ever experienced the insincerity of the weekly handshake across the aisle?
A hug breaks the barrier of individualism and by its very nature communicates a sense of community and belonging. It is a gesture that fully communicates its intent..."I accept you and care for you." A hug is a spontaneous signal of acceptance. Interestingly, an embrace is the very action of Jesus toward the believer. A hug breaks the barrier of personal space bridging the gap and creating a neutral space where there is no room for disagreement or grudges. It creates a space for acceptance, understanding, and empathy. A hug is a gift, an act of servitude, because it can never be seized; only offered and then received. When was the last time you offered someone community and a sense of belonging by giving them the gift of an embrace? "Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom" Isaiah 40:11
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3 comments:
I heard on the radio the other day an anecdote about a young man who went to have his hair cut every week, just to have that non-threatening human touch. Sad world we live in.
Yeah, seems that individualism has saturated our culture. =(
Actually, a hug involves a pretty radical act of trust, exposing one's soft underbelly, so to speak. Did God not make us individuals? Taking the risk to share who we are & the risk involved there, that's the radical thing. Assimilating that God loves & accepts us through Jesus, even if the whole world rejects us - that's the thing, perhaps. Maybe that's the thing that will allow people to take the risk with others. Perhaps that's the meaning of "perfect love casts out fear". "Fear not", so often repeated in the Bible - fear is a terribly destructive force.
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