The Touchables

Brenda Cannon HenleyBy Brenda Cannon Henley
On Saturday I taught my ladies study group, The Broken Pots, and it seemed to me the Lord met with us in a real way. My lesson centered on the “Touchables” and the “Untouchables.” Most of our lives had been impacted and greatly influenced by the sudden and surprising death of a very dear friend and talented musician in the week before.

The Associate Pastor and Music Director of our church, Tim Hawkins, died of a massive coronary on I-275 near Tampa going to meet his wife, Mandy, my friend and co-worker, for dinner on May 11th. His Celebration of Life was on Tuesday, May 16, with over 500 dear family and friends present in our home church. Tim was a good man who did not spend his life foolishly, but truly invested it in others.

Tim had been a real friend to me in the time he and Mandy had been at our church. I had personally experienced so many emotions during these days following Tim’s sudden death that I began to think of the reactions of others. This manner of thinking led me to the thought that people in general fall into fairly specific categories. Some hearts are easily touched by pain, heartache, loss, death, illness, and the sadness of others. And, yes, there are some men and women that seem not to feel compassion, empathy, grief, and the piercing pain of others.

I personally believe that compassion is vital to a true Christian walk. In fact, one of my very favorite verses in the entire Bible is Jude 22 – “Some having compassion make a difference.” The Broken Pots group has chosen Jude 22 as their statement or mission verse and we use it quite often. (Note – There is only one chapter in the short book of Jude, but those 25 verses are very powerful).

Once my long-time pastor and employer, Dr. Curtis Hutson, who could be a very humorous man, had a little fun with our large congregation in a Sunday evening service. He very formally opened his sermon by saying, “Please open your Bibles and turn with me to Jude, Chapter 3, Verse 22, and let’s read together.” He waited as the light rustle of Bible pages could be heard turning all across that 2,368 seat auditorium.

Of course, scholars and serious students of the Bible recognized there is no Chapter 3 in the Book of Jude. He pulled his joke in by saying he had noticed several deacons and trustees still looking for Jude 3. However, there is Jude:22, and we all that claim to love Christ should respect and desire compassion in our lives.

It is the means we often have to reach others. When our hearts are soft, tender, and touchable, we are far quicker to see and respond to the needs of others. If our friend’s heart is breaking, ours should be hurting, too.

I taught my ladies on “Touchable” and “Untouchable.” I pray my heart always remains touchable. I never want to be cold, bitter, unconcerned, or unreachable. When is the last time we helped someone with a heart filled with tender compassion and the love of Christ?

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]

[BCH: May-23-2023]

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