Our "Please Touch" Journey of Faith

My family made a day trip to Philadelphia this past Saturday, where we hung out with a buddy of mine and his two young children. The highlight was the visit of the new "Please Touch" Museum, where the kids, unlike most museums, are actually encouraged to pull, tug, push, and otherwise handle the exhibits. Daniel and Sophia had a great time banging on some non-traditional and makeshift musical instruments and experimenting with water currents, plastic boats and rubber duckies. The staff there doesn't protect the exhibits from the kids by shooing them away - they actively encourage kids to learn by touching and experiencing.

It dawned upon me that the Christian faith, thank God, is very much a "please touch" journey of faith. The invitation we receive from Jesus is warm and gentle to come and see and learn more about him - to experience him just a little deeper every day. The "Please Touch" invitation comes in the same spirit as Jesus' invitation to John's two disciples in John 1:39 to follow him in the beginning of his ministry and the same spirit as Jesus' invitation to Thomas to touch his pierced hands and side to allay Thomas' doubt about the resurrection.

And the invitation is extended to all regardless of race, gender, education, religous upbringing, personal baggage, social, political or religious background to "please touch" Jesus. To "touch him" by reading the Bible that speaks about him and his teachings. To "touch him" by praying to Him, both speaking your own hopes and fears and listening to his voice.

Even for me, as a Christian of many years, I am deeply thankful that our God is so wonderfully approachable in this sense. We do not approach God glibly, but truly He is a God who has met me where I am at given my life circumstances and struggles. He is both awesome and immensely personal. I've realized that over my life I have, like Daniel and Sophia did on Saturday as their little hands yanked and probed levers and handles, fiddled around in my own understanding of God and His ways and have discovered new things about Him, His love, and His character. I am understanding better how He informs my fatherhood, my work, and all the other things that I encounter as the years pass by in my life. Every page in the Bible, every opportunity to pray for wisdom and hear His voice, and every yet-to-be-realized epiphany is essentially an invitation to "please touch."

So for those who count themselves to currently be followers of Jesus and for those who do not, the invitation to "please touch" remains open. Come and see... and touch.