Free Hugs?

You know what... I'm going to be completely honest with you for a quick second. I used to see people who wear "free hugs" shirts and hold "free hugs" signs up at major events or at school and I used to always think they were so weird. Well today I stumbled upon this short video and it kind of hit me in an odd way. Watch the clip.



There is something deeply profound in that one line of the song that says, "I'll love you for who you are." Here are couple things about this video that I think are deeply true:

1 - People have become very calloused to others.
The other day I was in the airport in Atlanta and we were in this little trolley car going to the next terminal. I look over to the guy next to me and asked him how he was and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. I then proceeded to tell the whole car how I think we have all become to scared of strangers that we forget to realize that we're all brothers and sisters. I got a couple of people smiling and even a couple people telling me that I was right! I remember a line from that movie crash that said something like, "sometimes people crash in to each other, just so they can feel something.

2 - We need to have faith in people.
Something I have learned over time is that many people are inherently good. People want to be LOVED so bad. Unfortunately many people find it in all the wrong places. It's one thing that is so incredibly awesome about being Christian is just the feeling of love that will never leave you, love that will never cheat on you, love that will never break and erode... We need to have faith in those very people looking to love and be loved.

3 - We need to see that it only takes one.
It only takes one person to affect many. Just as this guy walked down busy street and hugged one person, one became two, then two became three. Then another woman took a sign and she hugged even more people. We need to LOVE RECKLESSLY. You never know when that one will become two and the two will become three and the three might become 6.4 billion. Love is contagious, do it often.


³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:36-40