Through blessing, we communicate God’s heart about the inherent worth and value of every individual we bless. The absence of blessing in a person’s life leaves a void where love, acceptance, and emotional connection should reside.
According to John Trent and Gary Smalley in The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance, one of the elements of blessing is meaningful and appropriate physical touch. Check out this to find out what the other elements of the blessing are.
What is Meaningful and Appropriate Physical Touch?
Meaningful and appropriate touch is a powerful element of a blessing that goes beyond mere physical contact. It involves intentional and genuine gestures that convey love, acceptance, and connection. A gentle hand on the shoulder, a warm embrace, or holding someone’s hand can communicate a sense of presence, empathy, and support. The touch should be respectful, comforting, and suitable for the individual and the relationship. Meaningful touch helps create a safe space where the recipient feels valued and understood. It provides a nonverbal expression of care and acceptance that can be deeply comforting and healing.
Meaningful touch within a blessing also has the ability to establish and strengthen emotional bonds. Physical contact can release oxytocin, a hormone associated with feelings of trust and bonding, fostering a sense of security and belonging. It helps bridge the gap between individuals, promoting a deeper connection and understanding. Through touch, blessings transcend words, allowing emotions to be conveyed directly and enhancing the impact of spoken messages. Meaningful touch communicates that the person is seen, heard, and valued, promoting a sense of emotional well-being and fostering healthier relationships.
Meaningful Touch Extends Lifespans and Helps with Alzheimer’s
Meaningful touch is powerful. It has the ability to extend lifespans (see page 64) and can result in 47% increase in weight gain for premature babies (see page 64 of The Blessing book). It also has the power to decrease strange mannerisms and repetitive behaviors in people with Alzheimer’s (see page 66).
Meaningful Touch Exists within Boundaries
However, it is important to note that meaningful touch should always be appropriate and consensual. Respecting personal boundaries and consent is crucial. Different individuals may have varying comfort levels when it comes to physical touch, and it is essential to honor and respect those boundaries. Ensuring that touch is appropriate to the relationship and the cultural context is also important. It is crucial to be mindful of the recipient’s comfort and consent, as well as any cultural or social norms that may affect the appropriateness of touch. When touch is meaningful, appropriate, and consensual, it can play a significant role in expressing love, acceptance, and connection within the context of a blessing.
What Happens if Someone Doesn’t Receive Meaningful And Appropriate Physical Touch?
It is important for us not to ignore this need in our children, spouses, and close friends, as when denying them meaningful physical touch, we are denying them an important part of the blessing. The absence of meaningful physical touch can have negative consequences on an individual’s emotional and psychological well-being. Without the warmth of touch, individuals may experience a sense of loneliness, isolation, and disconnection. The lack of physical contact can hinder the development of healthy attachments and contribute to feelings of abandonment or neglect. Human touch is an essential form of communication that conveys care, acceptance, and belonging. When deprived of meaningful physical touch, individuals may struggle with emotional regulation, experience higher levels of stress, and have difficulty forming and maintaining intimate relationships. The absence of this vital element can lead to a sense of longing, a diminished sense of self-worth, and a longing for connection that can have detrimental effects on overall mental and emotional health.
Promotes A Healthy Love Style
When people don’t receive the blessing, they often struggle with being a secure connector, and often develop an unhealthy love style pattern that leaves them in hurtful relationship patterns, not finding the support and comfort that God designed for safe relationship to nourish. Physical touch is a major part of this.
Jesus Demonstrated Meaningful Physical Touch
He picked up the children in his arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13-14. When He met the leper, whom no one touched, it says, that Jesus touched him.
40 And a leper[a] came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
Mark 1:40-42
Jesus did what no one else would do. He touched the leper. His act was profound. It restored him to humanity, community, and to the blessing.
The Ultimate End: The Father Lifting them Up into All They Are as His Beloved Sons and Daughters
Usually extended by a parent or loving adult to a child, the blessing ultimately aids a child to be able to see God as their Heavenly Father, loving lifting them up into all He created them to be. It shields them from an orphan mindset and creates space in their spirit for sonship in the Kingdom of God and an inner knowing that they are fully and freely accepted as a son or daughter of the King.
It’s Never Too Late for the Blessing
If you haven’t extended this aspect of the blessing to your children and others you love, it is never too late. You can even explain to them that you now know this is important, apologize for not extending it before, and ask them what they feel comfortable with. If you haven’t received it, check out this post. It’s never too late.
The Lord binds up our wounds, carries our pain, and heals us from the inside out (Isaiah 61:1-3). He never grows weary or frustrated with us. He is always inviting us into more of Himself. As we know Him better, He restores the blessing. His blessing is perfect for us. He alone can invite and lift us up into all that we are as we rest in all that He is.
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