Reach Out and Touch

May God bless you this day…to touch Him and see!

My wife and I recently began remodeling our kitchen, which has turned out to be quite an education for me. This project was brought on due to an apparent conspiracy among our twenty-year-old appliances to all die together and thereby achieve a higher life in someone else’s kitchen. As we began the ordeal of looking for a new refrigerator, oven, cook top, sink, faucet, etc., etc., it seemed a good time to also replace the countertop. Had to, really. We could tell it was missing its friends and would soon be joining them.

I had never thought much about granite countertops. I don’t recall my mother ever allowing me to bring rocks into the kitchen but that seems to be okay these days. And believe me, there is a lot of granite out there. All different kinds and colors, from all over the world. While my wife got into the thrill of the hunt, I focused more on the men who work with this stuff…pulling slabs for our selection, describing strengths and weaknesses, deciding how best to lay out the stone, slowly cutting and finishing the granite, and then carefully installing the heavy pieces so each fit perfectly.

These men were not mindless laborers with power tools. They did not merely grab a piece of cold, hard stone and follow someone’s instructions. Each in his own way was an artist, thoughtfully feeling the granite and expertly handling it. They ran their hands over the stone and were able to experience it. They understood how it was to be used. Simply put, they touched the granite and could see.

My grandfather was a master mechanic who could feel the vibrations in an engine and know what was wrong. A fellow I met years ago could pick up a guitar and by the feel of it tell you what kind and quality it was. Many people, in all walks of life, are like that. From farmers testing the soil to cooks examining produce to a tailor choosing fabric to a sculptor find the right marble, clay or metal. And it goes beyond merely feeling something with one’s fingers. It is touching, but it’s touching the essence of what it is.

We don’t do enough of that, especially with people. It isn’t necessary to be an artist or any of the others I’ve described. We can touch people in many ways. Take these Notes, for example. We use them to touch people around the world. We do not physically feel them, but in a very real sense we reach out and touch their lives, and when they write back, they reach out and touch ours. By doing that, there is a connection. We begin to see…what is important, the needs of others and ourselves, how to encourage, why we must love…and we begin to understand Jesus.

There are two interesting Greek words…pselaphao and eido. The first means to feel, handle or touch, but not in an accidental way. Instead, it carries the idea of deliberately reaching out and running one’s hands all over whatever the object may be, not to mold or manipulate, like my granite buddies, but to investigate for the purpose of learning its composition, make-up and essence. The second word means to see, but not as in a casual sight. Like the first, it goes much further, more to seeing with our minds in order to attain a deeper knowledge and understanding. What’s fascinating is where we find these words together.

After the crucifixion, the disciples were devastated and very afraid. They did not remember what Jesus had told them, but focused on themselves. Their lives had been turned upside down, their faith had been shaken, and their plans had been destroyed. Yesterday had been a nightmare. Today was utter confusion. Tomorrow seemed hopeless. They were wandering in their own wilderness with no idea what to do next. Then Jesus appeared among them. Renewed hope and faith? No. They were terrified even more.

For three years Jesus had reached out to these men. He had touched their lives and understood them. Now it was their turn. With great gentleness, He spoke the words that would change their lives forever. Touch me and see. Luke 24:39 Pselaphao and eido. Come, reach out to me. Learn who I am and what it means to follow me. Then you will see life differently. You will know who you are and understand what you are to do.

He says the same to each of us. When life goes wrong and bad things happen. When we find ourselves hopeless, lost and confused, with no idea what path to take. When tomorrow seems empty and filled with dread. He comes to us and says, “Put your doubts and fears in the past. Run your hands across the pages of my Word and discover who I truly am. Feel my presence. Handle my truth in your life. Discover what I have called you to do. Then, and only then, will you understand. Touch me…and see.”

Take care and be God’s,

Chuck Graham (reprinted with permission from ciloa.org)

A Note of Encouragement 5 May 2008