THE POWER OF TOUCH

A 2020 Gallup poll on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic revealed something remarkable when compared with the results from a similar pre-pandemic study from 2019. It was discovered that in most every demographic category—gender, political affiliation, race, marital status, age, household income—people’s mental health declined. COVID-19 quite obviously has had a deleterious effect on people’s mental health. On some level, the virus has been harmful to everyone. So, what did the newer Gallup poll reveal that was noteworthy?

The poll covered 19 categories of people. In 18 of those categories, people’s mental health declined. But in one category, people reported improved mental health during 2020. Poll respondents who reported they attended religious services on a weekly basis during 2020 actually saw a 4 percent mental health increase. By comparison, people whose attendance at religious services was more sporadic or negligible suffered a significant decline in mental health (down 12 percent) during 2020.

Empirical evidence suggests that consistent church attendance has a measurable positive impact on the mental health of people. So, going to church—that is, connecting closely with others and affirming and growing your faith within the context of the Christian community—is not only essential for spiritual growth, it can be essential for your mental health.

A growing body of scientific research also supports the notion that being actively engaged in a church community is good for physical health. A metastudy that examined scientific literature from 1980 to 2014 (published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, March 2015) revealed the likelihood of mortality increases due to social isolation (29 percent) and loneliness (26 percent). Another study (published in Redox Biology, October 2020) implicated social isolation and loneliness as playing a role in stress-induced cardiovascular disease.

Science attests to the capacity of the church community being an antidote to social isolation, loneliness, cardiovascular disease, and the higher mortality rates associated with doing life alone. In short, by engaging with a community of Christ followers weekly, we position ourselves to live longer and healthier.

Mark 5:24–34 (NLT)

24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” 31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

THE STORY IS VERY CLEAR, SHE SUFFERED A LONG TIME.

SHE SUFFERED FROM THE NATURAL DISEASE.

SHE SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF PRACTITIONERS.

They call Doctors Medical practitioners. They do the best they can. They don’t know everything. There are some rare diseases that become difficult to treat.

SHE SUFFERED FROM ISOLATION.

SOME PEOPLE REMAIN PAPARAZZI AROUND GOD.

They are near Him, but they don’t know Him. (v. 30)

Matthew 15:8–9 NLT

8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

They may drive around Him looking for a selfie.

Heard a guy the other day, I don’t like to brag when I buy expensive stuff for myself, but I just filled up at the gas station.

illustration driving around the gas pump but not drive around

SHE REACHED OUT TO JESUS.

SHE EXPERIENCED THE POWER OF TOUCH.

Touch can convey regard and affection; and can also cause the recipient to feel respect and regard for the person who initiated the touch. When waitresses were asked to lightly touch a customer on the hand, or on the arm; they received a larger tip. This happened with both male and female customers even though it did not affect the overall dining experience, or other evaluations given by the individual.

Source: The Midas Touch – The Effects of Interpersonal Touch on Restaurant Tipping

SHE EXPERIENCED THE PRAISE OF JESUS.

TAKEAWAYS:

DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TO CALL ON JESUS.

1 Peter 1:6–9 LEB

6 in which you rejoice greatly, although now for a short time, if necessary, you are distressed by various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom, although you have not seen, you love; in whom now you believe, although you do not see him, and you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

TOUCH CAN MEND A BROKEN HEART AND LIFE.

Less medication and shorter hospital stays

A baby is born addicted to opioids every 25 minutes, adding up to more than 21,000 babies each year, a studyTrusted Source published in the Journal of Perinatology found.

Inevitably, each baby must endure severe symptoms of withdrawal. This is known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

Written by Ginger Vieira — Updated on December 8, 2017

Like opioid addiction in adults, the withdrawal process can be fatal for babies unless medical intervention begins shortly after birth. And traditional medical intervention is neither cheap nor simple.

A costly hospital stay for a newborn addicted to opioids can add up to nearly $66,000 or more, compared to an average non-NAS newborn’s hospital costs of about $3,500, according to the National Institute on Drug AbuseTrusted Source.

While the average baby leaves the hospital after 2.1 days, babies with NAS spend 16.9 days in the hospital.

The “No Baby Unhugged” grant program, funded by Huggies diapers, is trying to make a difference in a simple yet impactful way.

“No Baby Unhugged” is a grant designed to establish volunteer-based hugging programs at NICUs across the country, ensuring that newborns receive extensive amounts of soothing human touch.

While cuddling and hugging newborns enduring withdrawal isn’t new, it is gaining a great deal of traction. It’s also proving to make traditional drug intervention unnecessary for many.

Dr. Elisha Wachman, neonatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), told National Geographic that many babies with NAS are overmedicated.

Wachman explained that in many cases, the methadone treatment approach can actually prolong the arduous withdrawal process and extend a baby’s hospital stay.

Ensuring that babies with NAS receive plenty of hugging and cuddling from NICU volunteers or their parents is something BMC has been doing for years.

Prior to adjusting its approach to focus more on cuddling and less on opioid substitution, nearly 90 percent of babies with NAS at BMC were receiving opioids.

Today, only 30 percent of NAS babies at BMC are receiving opioid treatment. This also reduced the cost of treating these babies from the average $66,000 down to $19,000 per baby.