The Importance of Touch

      When we were babies we depended upon our parents for all of our needs. Our parents held us and touch us in order to care for us. Touch played an important part in our development. We bond through physical touch. When you engage in pleasant touch, like a hug, your brain releases a hormone called oxytocin. This makes you feel good and firms up emotional and social bonds while lowering your anxiety and fear.
     There is a medical term for a lack of touch it is called Touch Starvation. According to WebMD Touch Starvation is a condition that happens when you don't get as much physical touch as you're used to or any at all. Some people experienced it during the pandemic while social distancing but it can happen with any lack of physical touch. We need the human touch because it can help regulate sleep and digestion, build your immune system, and help fight infections. When you don't get enough physical touch, you can become stressed, anxious, or depressed.
     According to WebMD it says you can fight Touch Starvation even when you can't physically interact with other people. You can video chat which lets you visually interact with others. Online exercise will help you to interact in a social setting which may make you feel less lonely. Interacting with pets is a form of touching that could ease some touch starvation symptoms. The article said that studies show that oxytocin levels peak in dog owners when they caress their pets.
     Dacher Keltner a university professor of psychology said, "Touch is the fundamental language of connection' "When you think about a parent's child bond or two friends or romantic partners, a lot of the ways in which we connect and trust and collaborate are founded in touch." In a survey 40,000 people from 2 countries took part in describing touch. The three most common words they used were "comforting", "warm" and "love".
     Touch increases our feelings of well being in social environments. When we feel that we are anxious or in danger a kind touch can reassure us that we are not alone. When we are going through a deep sorrow a hug from a friend can make us feel better. Your child who hugs you can make you feel loved. During a team sport a touch from a team mate can make you feel that he has your back. Touch also could be a pat on the back, a handshake, a high five or a friendly hug, we feel the need to reach out to each other and touch. Human beings are a social species and we need to feel connected and touch is a form of connection that brings us closer together. 

He Rescued Me

     As a child I lacked a father figure. My father was a alcoholic lets say he was just absent from my life even though he was around. My mother was just the opposite she was attentive, loving and kind. She had a bible study once a week at the house and I would sit and listen to them talk most of the time. It was there where I learned about a heavenly Father who look over his children in a loving way. I was immediately drawn to the conversation for a loving father is what I was lacking in my life. I began to study more about this heavenly Father and how he care for his children.
     By studying the scriptures, I found that our Father who is in heaven is a God of love (1John 4:7,8). A God who watches over us and protects us from harm (Psalms 121:5-8). A God who provides for us (Phil 4:19) and a God who listens to us (Jer. 29:12,13). He was everything that I could want from a father. So I began my journey to know more about him so to become closer to him and him to me. He became my father figure that was missing from my life. He was my role model to which to follow and to learn from. He gave me hope and meaning to my life. Where there was fear there is now peace. Where there was darkness there is now light. He rescued me with his love.
     I told you this story not to draw your sympathy or pity. I told you this story to give you hope that whatever you are lacking in your life God can fulfill. Life can be hard and we can become broken inside but God can fix us and make us whole again if we let him. He can and will rescue you if you call out to him. Your are his child and he is your loving Father who cares for you. Your suffering can end if you lay down your burdens upon him. Jesus Christ who is the image of God (Col.1:15) said these words in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I Made the Choice to Follow You

     From all the voices I could have followed I stood my ground and followed you. The glitter and the temptations that were around me I ignore them all and looked to you. When some people fell away and said that you did not exist I did not believe them and still held on to my faith. Some say we no longer have a need for you because you are out of touch with our modern times, I saw through their blurred vision and saw that your wisdom could stand the test of time. You are the beginning and the end of all things no one is greater than you. I made my choice to follow you and listen to your words of salvation and hope.
    When trouble times that were upon me you gave me the strength to carry on. The sadness that I was drowning in you rescued me from it's depths. When I was lost you found me and shown me a way out. You watched over me and comforted me even if I were at that time standing at a distance from you. You never gave up on me and waited patiently for my return.
     What thing or person within this world is greater than you? The whole world lies in your hands and creation itself is your design. Where on Earth that has not been touched by your spirit? Where on Earth can people go where your spirit is not there? Your eyes see everything, your mind understands everything there is no place where a person can hide their actions from you. The angels of heaven report to you everyday.
     Our God of love and of peace, why do we stand against our God of salvation? Why do we not put him above all else? Is our distractions more important than him? Time we have so little of and we give our life away to our desires leaving our names unwritten in the book of life. Glory be to God for the future we will have despite ourselves. Centuries has past and mankind has no answers to the violence upon the land and the fear upon our hearts and minds. Destruction continues to march onward taking our lives away.
     I made my choice to follow you, God of my salvation for your path leads to your kingdom. A kingdom of eternal peace and security. A kingdom of love and happiness. Where death is no more and neither will there be suffering. Man cannot rid his world from suffering but you can by the power of your Holy Spirit. My hope is in you, I place my life in your hands. There is nothing in this world that is greater than you. I make this choice to follow you as long as I can.

   
     

     

Citizen of The Kingdom of God

     If I am a future citizen of the kingdom of God how should I act now? Would I not want to live my life differently than from the world? If I did not change my life would not the people around me say, "Why should I change my life if a citizen of God's kingdom lives no differently than me?" Would they not think that if God accepted you without a commitment to change, they will be accepted as well? You maybe their first example in how a citizen of God's kingdom acts and their only opportunity to learn more. So I say to you brothers and sisters within the Lord do your utmost to represent the kingdom of God well for the sake of those who have yet come to Christ.
     When I look towards my future I want to be with Jesus within the kingdom of God. If I want to be a citizen of the kingdom of God should I not be acting like one now? I cannot say to myself I will continue to do as I please and when Jesus returns only then will I be totally devoted and act righteously. Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." These words mean you cannot place a pursuit over your service to God making it the most important thing in your life. You cannot expect to serve your desires and enter in God's kingdom with only a half-hearted devotion to him. 
     The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:19, 20 "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." So we are indeed fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. We will be just like the great multitude who will come out of the great tribulation from every nation, tribe, peoples and languages and we will stand before the throne of God and worship him within his kingdom (Rev.7:9,11). I believe that if we are future citizens of the kingdom of God shouldn't we now conduct ourselves as those citizens to live our life as though we were standing before the throne of God. We should not wait until the end is nearly upon us so as to make the changes to our lives.
     I will do my utmost to make changes to my life. I will trust in Gods words and not doubt his wisdom. I will try my best to fight against my sins and weaknesses so to have a clear conscience and a clear mind. I would like to live my life as an open book with a nothing to hide mentality. I would like there to be no barrier between me and God. As a citizen of the future kingdom of God I must align my life in a way that Jesus Christ wants me to live as to love, kindness, compassion and mercy. I must be more forgiving and have a strong faith believing in God with my whole heart, mind and soul. I must be willing to be whole heartedly at making the changes that I need so to live like a citizen of the kingdom of God.

     
     
      

Commitment

      The first Commandment in Matthew 22:37, 38 "And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." If we are to obey the first commandment we must love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind. It did not say to partially love the Lord with a little bit of your heart, soul and mind. The first commandment demands total commitment on our part with every bit of our heart, soul and mind.
     I will not question your faith, belief or even the amount of love in your heart for God. I believe you really want to serve God with your whole heart but something in your heart is holding you back. I also know you haven't given up and you will keep on trying to get it right.
     We are getting it right by not giving up on ourselves and our God. In time we will find the answers that we are looking for so to succeed in strengthening our commitment to God. In finding those answers we must look deeply inside of ourselves to find that which has become an obstacle to our commitment. We can asked ourselves. Is there something missing in our life that must be found? Is there something broken that must be fixed? Are we holding on to something that must be let go? There maybe something in our lives that is pulling us away from God making us walk backward instead of forward.
     There will come a time when you will reach a point where you are ready to hand your life over to God and make that total commitment to Christ our Lord. I hope for you that you can make a total commitment to God without going through much suffering, however some will only come to God when they hit the bottom and there is no where else to go but up.
     Our eyes must be clearly open to see that sin can be the lead weight that is pulling us down. We must come to understand that our sin or whatever weakness that is within us can be a barrier between us and God. If we want to have a total commitment to God, we have to be willing to let go to whatever that is holding us back. Only then we will be ready to give God all of our heart, soul and mind. 

     

Have We Forgotten?

      Moses spoke these words to the Israelites that roam the desert for forty years. These words could be applied to us today. Deuteronomy 8:11-14, 17 "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Beware lest you say in your heart, "My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth."
     Moses goes on to tell them that it was not their power that brought them wealth. Duet.8:18 "You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Moses warns them what would happen if they forgot what the LORD had done for them. Deut.8:19 "And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall perish." So there are consequences in forgetting the LORD.
     The LORD will also discipline us like a father that disciplines his son. Deut.8:5, 6 "Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his way and by fearing him." The LORD loved the Israelites like a father and wanted the best for them. He did not want them to forget about him but to live by his words and prosper. He made a path through the wilderness for them to follow and have a beautiful life and all they had to do is to remember him and his commandments.
     The words in Deuteronomy chapter eight may have been written for the Israelites but they are important for us as well. The words tell us do not forget the LORD and what he has done for you. What did he do for us? He created us and gave us a world to which to live. His very breath brought us to life. We cannot say that we are independent from God. If he took that in which he created away the land, air and sky where would we be? Independents from God is an deceptive illusion and not based on reality. If we have forgotten about the LORD and all his works then we will be on a destructive path and only with the LORD's mercy can we be saved.

1 Corinthians 4:7 "What do you have that you did not receive? If then you receive it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

Psalm 76:11, 12 "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Our Malnourished Soul

     When you was a child you probably did not know how to eat right until you were taught by your parents. If it was up to you, you would probably eat dessert as your main meal. Living off eating candy, cookies, ice cream and cake it would be fun but not healthy in the long run. Your parents know this so they taught you to eat your vegetables as well. If we do not eat a balanced meal our bodies can become malnourished and our health could suffer.
     As a child I was inclined to eat a diet of unhealthy things until I was taught to eat the right things. Now as an adult I still sometimes eat the wrong things and have to force myself to focus on to eat the right things. In this world I find it so easy to to do the wrong things and I have to make a conscious effort to do the right things, perhaps it is because of my sinful nature. Because of our sinful nature, I believe we can become malnourished not only in body but also in spirit.
     I believe that some of the people in our world are living in a spiritual malnourished state. Their minds have become mentally sick and unhealthy. They do acts of violence because they are spiritually malnourished. They live by their sinful nature and ignore their spiritual health. Even if we were taught how to to eat well, we must also be taught how to live in peace. We have to have proper guidance in order to live a healthy peaceful life.
     Proper nourishment for the body is life. Malnourishment for the mind is mental chaos. How can one even function in this world even if their body is healthy but their spirit is suffering? The body and mind must work harmonious together in order to achieve peace and happiness. A balance must be maintained by feeding your body and your mind the proper nourishment it needs.
     John 6:32-35 "Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you true bread from heaven. for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."