Brother Hugs

This week has been one for the record books. I will not soon forget it. An incident with a client rocked my happy little world and nearly lead to the filing of a police report. What is comical now that all has been resolved was terrifying for about 72 hours.

I am blessed to work with some wonderfully godly men and women who helped me find my way through the whole mess on a professional level, but so many times each day I found myself just wishing for a good, strong hug from one of my Christian brothers. Unfortunately, most of the ones I have counted on for such things in the past were unavailable this week, either having moved away or being out of town on business. On Wednesday night, I asked some godly women in my life to pray that God would strengthen me to do whatever was going to be required of me and that He would comfort me, even as I longed for someone with "skin on" to reinforce the message.

All day Thursday the Lord provided such incredible peace. He brought verses to mind that helped me remember that the battle was for Him to fight and I needed only to rest in Him. And, sure enough, when the resolution came, it was in a way I'd have never imagined. It was swift, decisive, and even provided some very welcome humor.

This morning, as I woke, came to work, and went about my tasks, the weight I'd been shouldering all week was gone, and I reveled in a refreshed sense of joy in my work, quickly putting all the drama behind me.
Then, about mid-morning, I received a very unexpected phone call from JJ, one of those brothers I was missing this week as he had been out of town on business. He was running some errands and realized he was near my new office and wanted to come by. By the time I returned the call to tell him to "come on over!" he was already in our parking lot. He came in, greeted me with a warm hug, and visited for a few minutes. I gave him the tour, walked him back to the parking lot, hugged him goodbye and went back to my desk. It was only after I sat down, thinking about what a pleasant surprise it was to see him today, for the first time in a couple of months, that I realized God really had heard my request for a brother-hug and sent one just as soon as He could. JJ's plane landed last night, and here he was in my office before noon this morning. How sweet of God to punctuate His love by sending a hug from someone with "skin on!"


Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.