This week I went in search of some information for the newsletter. I was looking for something along the lines of Did You Know information and chanced to come across something that got my attention. And that led me to begin to think about what in my life would continue the thought.
As I have grown older, and gained weight, and lost muscle, mostly due to the aches and pains of getting older and a good case of that well-known guy named Arthur Ritis who is the giver of stiffness, and joint pain. I also know Charlie Horse who gives me muscle spasms and cramps. Along with those 2 guys, I also know Will Power and he is the effort needed to get out of bed and then there is Ben Gay representing the lotions and ointments I need to use for relief from pain. For some time, I have been observing that I have a swelling problem. First it was one of my feet. Then it was the other foot. And the same thing has happened with my legs. First the right one and lately the left leg wants to swell and by bedtime, has become noticeably swollen This swelling problem most recently seems to be connected to my knee and hip surgeries. While it isn’t painful, and I have wanted to ignore it, doctors and others think it is a problem that I shouldn’t ignore. I have been told to do this…, do that…, wear this…, don’t eat this…, or eat that…. Facebook is sure that I need whatever sponsored product that speaks to my problems—for a big price! I was sure that I would never want to wear compression socks, but I have come to appreciate them—to the point where I recently ordered more! It is a challenge to put the right sock on after my hip surgery! It is a long process! I have had various ointments and lotions recommended to me for pain control and skin improvement and swelling reduction. If I used everything I have been told to use, it might take me most of the morning to get dressed and ready for the day!
One thing that I was told to do and more recently have rediscovered is TOUCH. After the hip surgery, the post-surgery physical therapy helpers demonstrated the proper technique for lymphatic massage. Use very light, gentle skin-stretching pressure to move lymph fluids toward the heart, starting from the upper thigh and working down to the ankle. Perform sweeping, clearing near the hip areas first, 10–15 times for each leg section. For some reason, when I no longer needed a helper to do the exercise for me, then I quit doing it myself! And that was a mistake! For a while now, I have been reminding myself to JUST DO it! And it has helped! It is amazing what those simple little gentle touches can do and how much the swelling has improved.
One of my precious memories of my mother is how she would sit near me or even hold me on her lap. I know I was pretty young when I first had this memory, but it continued maybe even into Earliteen years. I particularly remember her touch to my hair when she would gently move it around and finger comb it in the gentlest of ways. No one has ever come close to being able to give me the same feeling. Nope, not even my husband can duplicate it. The touch of her hand on my hair was the best. When I grew older, her touch was eventually replaced by my husband. Perhaps second to her touch on my head, is a very thorough back scratching session. My husband can do that for me, and I’m afraid I almost never want it to end! It’s almost a state of heavenly bliss on the scale of back scratching. Sometimes it is very strong and thorough to make the itches go away! Much better than trying to relieve the itch by sliding back and forth over the woodwork of a doorway! Other times he understands that I need the gentleness of the touch that feels so good and makes the stress and tenseness go away. I need the touch of both strong and gentle in my life.
There is much to learn about touch! We all know that orphan babies often do not get the touch that they need so much. Orphaned infants deprived of human touch often suffer from “failure to thrive,” and experience severe physical and emotional developmental delays, including stunted growth, lower IQ, and intense attachment disorders. Lack of physical affection causes lasting brain chemistry changes that can lead to extreme social withdrawal or indiscriminate friendliness. Infants may develop weakened immune systems, and in extreme, cases, suffer death. Research has shown significantly lower levels of brain activity and reduced brain size compared to babies who received nurturing care and touch. Children often develop severe disorders, similar to autism. Maybe this is part of what is going so wrong in our world today. The little ones just don’t get enough touch! For safety, kids today can’t sit in mommy’s lap in the car. They can’t sleep in mommy’s arms; they must go off to school very early away from mommy and her hugs. No time for touch is becoming so normal but to what result?
As I look at the calendar, it lets me know that soon we will have the day designated for love and touch—Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day has a funny way of putting pressure on us: finding the right flowers, making reservations, and requiring cards to be both poetic and thoughtful. But if you take all that away, the heart of Valentine’s Day is very simple: connection. One of the strongest yet generally underappreciated ways we connect with one another is through touch. Touch is not a luxury, it’s a biological necessity—right up there with sleep, drinking water, and eating healthfully. When we experience safe, loving touch—like a hug that lasts longer than two seconds or when a partner gently holds your face—that tells your brain that you’re okay. Maybe we should use a softer approach to love: longer hugs, slower moments, touching that says care—not urgency. Intentional touch supports your nervous system and your heart. Because love isn’t just a feeling, it’s also a physical need. A great hug can lessen anxiety, decrease blood pressure (I might need more hugs!), boost my mood, and heighten feelings of belonging. Most adults don’t get enough hugs; we are touch-deprived. If you’re not a hugger, the touch of even a massage, facial, or pedicure can offer the healing touch we so desperately need. It reduces muscle tension, improves circulation, supports immune function, and helps us stay well, improves my sleep, and decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety. Touch is especially important right now in a world of screens, stress, burnout and chaos. Touch reminds us we’re human, not just a productive cog on a wheel. And here’s the part that isn’t talked about enough: you don’t have to earn touch. You don’t have to wait to be less stressed, dressed right, or more deserving. Touch is not a reward. It’s nourishment,
physically and emotionally and even spiritually. Among all your senses, touch is the only one that spans your entire body. The skin, your largest organ, not only protects you from injury and infection but also constantly gathers information about pressure, temperature, vibration, texture, pleasure, pain, and potential threats. Unlike vision or hearing, touch is immediate, feeding the brain continuous updates about my body and my surroundings. Scientists are discovering that touch is more than a simple bodily function; it’s the foundation for social connection, emotional regulation, and even memory. What makes touch especially interesting is how complex it is. Each sensation is from a network of specialized receptors and neural pathways the brain must interpret, rapidly and often unconsciously. The way those signals are processed reveals just how complex this seemingly simple sense really is. Touch Is the First Sense to develop after conception. This idea is what originally got my attention. Touch develops remarkably early in human life. Around eight weeks, a developing fetus can respond to light pressure around the lips, and sensitivity quickly spreads across the body as the baby’s nervous system forms. Specialized receptors for pressure, temperature, and movement become active long before birth, giving me the foundation for how I would later interpret my physical world. This early sense helps shape the developing brain and is crucial for everyone’s survival and healthy growth. Touch after birth, it becomes essential for bonding, emotional stability, and healthy social development long before vision and hearing fully mature.
Gentle Touch helps regulate emotions. One of the most interesting discoveries in touch research is the role of nerve fibers tuned to gentle, caressing strokes. Those fibers send signals directly to areas of the brain involved in emotional processing. When activated, they can reduce stress hormones, lower heart rate, and trigger the release of a hormone for bonding and trust. That helps explain why a gentle touch from a trusted person can immediately soothe you, soften distress, and create a sense of safety. The emotional effects of gentle touch are especially important in early development. Studies on newborns and premature infants show that skin-to-skin contact regulates breathing, stabilize body temperature, and promotes healthier weight gain.
Touch Can Influence Our Decisions. Touch can shape the decisions we make, often without our awareness. Research shows that sensations such as softness, firmness, warmth, or weight can influence how we interpret situations and behave in response. Holding a warm fuzzy can help increase feelings of trust and generosity, and rough textures can make social interactions seem more difficult. People holding heavier objects have been found to rate issues as more serious or consequential than people holding something light. In a project, people were in a simulated negotiation with a car dealer while sitting in a chair that was either soft or hard. Those in soft chairs tended to make higher offers than those in hard chairs that might mean physical comfort can increase our flexibility.
Touch was important in the ministry of Jesus, who freely and frequently used physical touch to love and heal others. He washed feet (John 13:12-15), gathered children in his arms (Mark 10:13-16), and restored people’s health by touching them (Matthew 8:2-3; John 9:11). When Mary was at the garden tomb—Jesus said don’t touch me. Mary washed Jesus feet by touching him. In Matt 8:3 Jesus touched a leper to heal him and in Mark 5:41, Jesus took dead girl’s hand and raised her. Elijah put his body on the dead boy to bring him back to life. Jesus took Peter’s hand to raise him out of the water.
Touch was so important in the stories of Jesus here on earth.
Luke 5: 12-15 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. I love the song by Ira F. Stanphil, He Touched Me, with the words that always give me hope. “He touched me, and oh, the joy that floods my soul. Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.” The story of the man with leprosy reminds me of the power of Jesus’s healing touch. I wasn’t there but I can imagine the story. It was a bold of the man when he called out “unclean” as he walked the streets. Because of his illness, he could not attend the synagogue. He couldn’t remain in his home because everything he touched was considered unclean. He couldn’t sit with friends, having small talk, telling gossip and silly jokes, and maybe laugh at their silliness. He was isolated from family, his friends, and his community and also in great pain and suffering. Yet, he courageously called out to the Man he had heard could heal. He made a declaration of faith. “You can heal me if you are willing to do so.” That is boldness personified, and Jesus responded that He was willing. Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man, and he was cleansed at that moment. What’s important is that in touching a man who had not felt the touch of another person since becoming ill, Jesus restored all of his needs–his physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health. Jesus once again made him able to be a part of his community, able to walk the streets with pride, and live among the people he loved and live with his family again! Jesus made him whole! I can just imagine the joy that flooded the man’s whole being! According to Matthew 8:1-4, the man was so joyful and excited that he told everyone the news of his healing, and after that Jesus could not enter a town with people coming from everywhere for His loving touch and also healing.
Today we still need the healing power of touch . When we reach out and touch the hand of a lonely person, a child, or someone ill or grieving, we act like we are Jesus’s hands and we share His love. We like to communicate by text and email; instead, talk face-to-face, be willing to touch each other and listen to each other’s hearts. We need each other’s healing touch. It is so important in this world today. Touch mirrors how Jesus used His own physical touch to restore and express God’s love to those around Him.
God is not remote, but intimately involved with me, and you! He holds our hands and touches our hearts. We are called to share this healing, loving touch with others.
“But Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught (touched) him…” Matthew 14:31 Jesus frequently broke social barriers to touch lepers, heal the sick, and gather the little children. His touch wasn’t just physical; it was giving others compassion, safety, and wholeness. When I am offered a comforting hand, a hug, or an arm around my shoulder in prayer, that becomes the hands of Jesus in someone and in my life, transforming moments of loneliness and sadness into a moment of blessing. Lord, thank you for the times I have felt Your gentle, strengthening touch in my life—through comfort, in prayer, or through the kindness of others. Teach me to be Your hands today. Help me to reach out to the lonely, the hurting, and the forgotten, allowing Your love to flow through me to heal and encourage. Amen.
God is not distant; He is a God who “touches” our lives, providing comfort and companionship. Our hands are meant to be the hands of Jesus in this digital, disconnected world. A simple handshake, a pat on the back, or a sincere hug can communicate care that words often cannot. One touch from Jesus has now affected millions, and he wants to do the same thing in our lives. Just as Jesus was moved by compassion, compassion can move us to reach out to others too. Our simple, wordless gestures could be exactly what is needed to strengthen a connection, soothe an emotion, communicate without a word, or heal a hurting heart. Does someone need a touch from you today?
Lord, thank you for the sense of touch. Help me to use my physical contact to display your love and care for others. May my gestures be healing rather than hurtful.
Touch my heart so I can touch the hearts of others for you. Amen.