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Aug 11, 2021 17:00pm
The Best Hug Ever
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There’s something about a hug.

It’s an embrace that soothes your weary soul, melts away your troubles and gives you reassurance for the future. The feeling of a loved one’s arms around you when you’re scared, or little arms squeezed around your neck because they’re excited to see you… hugs close the distance between two hearts and creates beautiful moments.

If we’re honest, we all need a big hug from someone at some time in our life. And, sometimes, we can’t wait until the day when we get to see a parent or grandparent or grandchild and hug their neck if it’s been a long time. Those moments when we finally get to see them, and we run physically wrap our arms around them… Man, what a day!

Joseph has looked forward to this day and thought it would never arrive – the day he would see his dad and brother Benjamin again. He has been separated from his family for so long, and after many long years, Joseph is reunited with his father.

“So, Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.’” (Genesis 46:29-30)

Just thinking about this reunion makes me tearful. How strong and meaningful that hug must have been.

Not withholding their emotions, Joseph wept. I don’t blame him! He’s finally seeing his father after so many years!

I will weep too.

I think.

I mean, I can’t imagine what that will be like to one day get to wrap my arms around my Heavenly Father’s neck.

I will rejoice when I’m able to hug my family on this earth again.

I will be excited to see and hug my dad in Heaven one day.

But to meet my Savior, the man who gave His life for me,

the one who cares so deeply about me,

the one who knows my every thought and still loves me… I can only imagine being awestruck by His awesomeness and humbled in His presence that I could be able to move.

I can’t even imagine that I could speak or make a sound, what would I say to the King of Kings?

And yet, there I will stand. Waiting. And then, perhaps, He will run to me and wrap His arms of grace, peace and security around me!

I long for this reunion with my Heavenly Father.

Do you?

Do you truly desire the moment you will meet your Savior?

Or are you terrified of what God will say when you see Him face time face?

At one time in my life, I pictured it a totally different way. I could see all my sins laid out before me. I could see a huge division between me and God. I would be before Him in all of my filth and rags.

And there was no physical connection.

There were no outstretched arms welcoming me into His strong chest.

There was darkness and pain.

There was shame and regret.

There was hurt and anger.

But that was before I surrendered my life to Jesus.

We will all stand before God one day. And while my sins are many, and shameful indeed, Christ took those with Him to Calvary.

My sins have earned me death.

An eternal separation from God.

But the moment Jesus defeated death on the cross, my sins were paid for in the past, present and future. And He offers to us a gift of salvation, and if we believe in Him, we can come to God the Father with a robe of white, no longer in our filth and rags.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. His righteousness covers me. We are washed by the blood of Jesus.” (Isaiah 1:18)

By accepting Jesus as my Savior, I can be assured that God will welcome me with open arms.

And it’s going to be the best hug ever.

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