By Pastor David Holland
Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them.
~ Matthew 19:13
Jessica came screaming and bawling into this world and irrevocably altered my life the moment she was born. The responsibility of this fragile human being weighed on me. I was so afraid I would drop her and she would break.
In that raucous, birthing moment, the Lord breathed into my heart, “That’s what I mean by being born again, moving from one form of existence to another, out of the womb and into the world.” This experience revealed new facets of the Lord.
I learned how to bottle feed my baby girl and the evil of “burping” her. Patting her back rhythmically would produce the rudest sound, followed by this odious curdled smell. Yet, she was so cute as she bobbed her head with glazed, unfocused eyes. This curious creature was human, but I couldn’t imagine what was going on inside her little head.
I took the early morning feedings to give my wife some sleep. Changing and feeding this eating, pooping, peeing machine was challenging, but wonderfully bonding. After her bottle, I would rock her back to sleep and pat her back gently out of sheer reflex. When she was about five months old, IT happened. I was utterly exhausted working two jobs and a senior in college. As I sat rocking her to sleep, her tiny hand began to lovingly pat my back. The hurts of my childhood began to melt away by the love of my child.
How does a non-communicative, miniature human learn to respond with loving touch? You could say, “She was imitating,” and I would respond, “That is how we learn profound emotion.” The innate ability to love is the mark of God upon our psyche, the touch of God upon our soul.
There are seven billion people on this planet, each equipped with a unique fingerprint. Each one also has their own distinctive capacity for affection. Giving and receiving love is what we were born to do. The early events of my life handicapped my ability to love as God intended, but God is on a mission to restore that ability.
As a young Christian, I remember the old-timers lingering at the altar singing a curious song, “Just a touch from His nail-scarred hands, just a touch from His nail-scarred hands, just one touch from His nail scarred hand.” What were those old fogies talking about? Those elders in the faith knew something that I didn’t—it is the gentle touch of the Master that brings healing to the broken heart. God restores the love stolen from us in our brokenness. The peace of God quietly descends upon our hearts with an unseen, yet unmistakably tender pat on our backs.
“This is where the healing begins…where the light meets the dark,” sings the Christian rock group Tenth Avenue North. For me, this healing began with the touch of the Master through my infant daughter.
When Jesus walked the earth, people brought their babies to Him. They brought the sick and the troubled to Christ that He might touch them and heal them. I pray the Master would touch you today and that you would rest in His arms as He pats you on the back. You were born a loved child and He would hold you and love you.
There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to cause Him to love you less. His is the love most tender.
Dave Holland pastored churches for 38 years before retiring in Destin. He recently released his new devotional-Bible study based on the Gospel of Luke titled “Extraordinary Jesus: Ignite Your Season of Miracles.” You can get a copy of this book from his website, DaveHolland.org, or at Amazon.com. Pastor Dave is available to preach and teach in churches and conferences. Contact him at DavidvHolland54@gmail.com.
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