Isolation hurts.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock during the last few months, you know how we’ve been encouraged (forced) to avoid others. There have been unintended consequences with increased levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Increased suicides and overdoses have been documented. The CDC director is quoted as saying, “We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID.”

This week I experienced the impact of this firsthand as a long-time friend died unexpectantly last week.  In his grief, her husband broke down with nothing more than a simple hug. There is great value in connecting with others. We are, after all, human beings and human beings need each other. Paul recognized as much when he reminded the Romans to –

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 13:15).

We did both this week as we remembered with joy, a life that was marked with passion and we mourned the loss for a husband and three sons.

This is “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing” (Ecclesiastes 3:5).

We need community. We need each other. Sometimes you just need a hug.