The Light Touch
A long time ago I read a thought about how to love that has affected the way that I care about people. The concept was that love does not dominate, it cultivates. The word "cultivates" resonates with me because as a farmer's daughter, my job was to tend the strawberry crop produced by our immense garden. On a side note, I am blessed with a view from our Santa Cruz condo that includes stawberry fields. It is a marvel to watch the preparation of the soil, the peeking up of the plants as they mature, and the intense amount of work involved in hand-picking the stawberries. Because they are so delicate, they cannot be left too long in the fields. I can personally attest to the fact that cultivating stawberries is definitely a labor of love.
Picking and preparing stawberries also requires a gentle touch. Too much pressure and zap you have stawberry jam! And so stawberries have taught me the concept of "the light touch" in caring for others. This "light touch" is about exerting a minimum amount of pressure on others by gliding over their lives with emotional sensitivity and responsiveness.
Here are a few examples of what I am talking about:
Becoming a balcony person to those I love
Storing up wisdom for the moment it is asked for
Remembering holidays, birthdays, significant dates
Choosing gifts that unify - I buy several of the same items for this purpose
Sending humorous cards that make that special someone laugh out loud
Providing small luxuries that bless and restore
Listening for the purpose of understanding
Obeying Holy Spirit leadings in timing and needs
Just think of times when you have been treated in a heavy-handed, pressured way and promise to never do the same to others. Consider adopting the style of "the light touch" and bless others with your unconditional caring.
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