I went to a concert last night. There were several different singers on stage throughout the evening. Every so often, they moved to the extreme left and right sides of the stage and touched those who had extended their hands toward them. As I watched this going on, I noticed a little girl....she was sitting in a seat lower than most of the others....and she was short....so it was difficult for the singers to reach her. I saw her as she extended her hand and waited. A particular singer passed her by and touched others. I thought, "Oh, that little girl is going to be so disappointed." But she turned to her mother, smiled, and sat down. Several times throughout the show, the girl extended her hand and, from what I saw, was not touched. Finally, near the end of the show, a singer headed over in that direction once more. I prayed, just as I had prayed several times before, that this singer would touch the little girl's hand. The singer walked slowly to that side of the stage....then she stopped, gently squatted down, and reached out and touched the girl's hand. After she was touched, the little girl clenched her hand in a fist as a sign of victory and turned to her mother....I didn't really see what took place after that, because I was saying thanks to God that someone had finally connected with the little girl....someone had seen her and had taken the time to reach out to her.
There are people all around us who are just like the little girl I saw that night at the concert. Oh, they don't extend their hand in a way that says, "Touch me, please." But they're there...in our families, among our friends, in the midst of those we come into contact with at work...and they're even among the people we've never met before that we see at the grocery store, the theatre, or wherever our daily lives may take us. They're there and they are just as hungry for a touch as that little girl was. You have to look for them, though, because like the little girl, they may have a smile on their face, though all the while they are yearning to connect with someone. Maybe they need someone to listen to them...someone to help carry the load of a situation they're going through. Maybe they need a hug or just a smile. Maybe they need some encouragement or someone to help them as they go through the illness of a loved one. Maybe they just need to know that someone cares about them and that they are loved.
Will you be like that singer?.....Will you reach out to someone who is hungry for a touch of some sort in their lives?
Today, really take the time to look at those around you....look in the eyes of those who cross your path....and if you see someone in need, stop and reach out and help them.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
