No Hugs and I’m Fine
I see so many posts of people saying they are missing their hugs.
I’m not one of those people.
I may use COVID-19 as an excuse for distancing myself from huggers for years or maybe decades to come.
Is that wrong?
I don’t feel that it’s wrong.
What’s wrong is pressing upon someone to hug when they are not wanting it. I’m not alone in my opinion, but when I tell someone I don’t want a hug, it seems that gives them more enthusiasm to convert me to their hugging lifestyle.
I’m here to say, you hugging me despite my unwelcoming arms is not going to sway me to your love of hugs. The only reason my body sways is me trying to remove myself from your bear hug.
I’m not swaying because I’m so happy. I’m swaying to flee.
But it’s not just about hugs. Have you ever had an opinion or belief and someone basically told you you are wrong and pressed their beliefs on you.
Did that sway you to their side? Or did it cause you to dig your heels in deeper into your belief? Your belief could be wrong, but now you may never realize it because any time anyone tells you otherwise, your mind is going to quickly build a wall, you’ll quit listening to their words and you will probably recall that moment that hurt you years ago when someone pressed you into a corner.
People of faith, please don’t share your faith as if approaching someone who doesn’t want a hug and hugging them until they can’t breathe. That’s not going to sway them.
That will probably do more harm than good.
Jesus never coerced people to Him. Jesus spoke with grace and love. Jesus didn’t pressure people to follow Him. Jesus gave people an option to follow or not. Jesus never twisted people’s arms and asked them to cry “Uncle.” Jesus may have twisted on people’s heart strings to expose what they were needing to hear, but He never exploited their hurts and fears. Jesus approached delicate situations with compassion, not judgement.
So in your life, would people see Jesus or a self-righteous zealot? These two are not one in the same. And if you think they are…well, you’re wrong. Jesus was selfless.
Jesus rebuked the self-righteous. But He loved the broken, the judged, the sinner, the lost.
When you speak, how are you speaking?
Are you speaking life to others or life to yourself? If you walk away from conversations puffed up more than you began, you are probably a life stealer, not a life giver.
Be a life giver. Be selfless. Think of others more than yourself. Be compassionate in your words and actions. Be merciful in all aspects of your life. Show grace to the graceless. Show love to everyone. Everyone.
And don’t hug those who don’t want a hug when you are allowed to hug people. That’s showing love when you honor other people’s opinion above your own. It’s not a weak surrender, but a strong humble heart.
Be humble.
Peace
