I wanna hold your hand

People always leave.

I came to accept this "absolute truth" at a young age when, in a very short span of time I lost my mom, my grandmother, my grandfather, and my aunt. I felt abandoned. And there was no one left in my life to show me affection. Don't get me wrong, my needs were met, and I know people loved me because they took care of me, but none of them really showed me through physical contact. Given everything else that went on during this "7 to 11" age, (someday I'll be brave enough to write about them), it's no wonder that, by the time I hit puberty, I felt completely alone in the world. I also had a lot of hate and I dolled it out in true "Shane" style for the better part of two decades.

In just the past few weeks, I've watched friends suffer great loss. A single car accident that killed a previous co-worker, the mother of a dear friend just suddenly gone, and a buddy, with whom I shared a birthday and deep sadness over a girl who left us too soon, killed in a motorcycle accident. The ripple effects of these lives are evident in the outpouring of emotion from their deaths.

Now, there's a little boy, Joseph, for whom my heart breaks everyday. My buddy, Joe, was his father and his mother was Jennye, the girl who left us too soon. I know this child's ache. That physical, painful emptiness that sits in the middle of your chest and makes it hard to breathe. Even at thirty five I still feel like an orphan. Even though I know it wasn't by choice, I still feel abandoned. Fortunately, Joseph is surrounded by family that includes many of the most amazing, loving, godly people I've ever known. And they know how to show affection.

Loneliness sucks. And more often than not, I still get swallowed by it, but I'm trying to trust that He is with me and that I am loved, no matter what. It's easier said than done when days go by and you think, "I could be dead as a door nail on my bathroom floor and no one would even know. I hope I'm clothed if that happens."

The truth is, we all need to make more effort to love the people in our lives. It is far too easy for the hurting, the abandoned, the broken-hearted to slip from our grasp because we were too busy focusing on things that don't matter in the end. And in this age of technology, there's no reason why, when you think of someone, you can't tell them, (and if you don't, you could be ignoring the Spirit, just sayin').

I love the aramaic/english translation of Hebrews 13:5 that says, "...for THE LORD JEHOVAH has said, “I shall not forsake you, neither shall I let go of your hand.”

Much of the way God shows his love for us is through his people.

God wants his people to be affectionate. He knows the importance of being embraced. He knows that when you put your arm around another person that, even if it's just for that moment, that person feels special. Loved. 


So get to huggin' people. There's no easier way to change the world. 


And if you need someone to hold your hand, just ask, because my God always provides. Always.