Let me tell about a man who in my book is a world-hugger. His parents called
him Billy Frank. His wife calls him Bill. His face is drawn by the
gravitational pull of years. The wrinkles on his brow betray a life of hard
work and stress. His legs are weak. So, too, his arms. His hands tremble
involuntarily. His voice, once strong, is tired. He’s an old man now. For
most of his 82 years, this man has touched the world by holding before it
the Christ of Christmas. Jesus knows the trembling hands that hold on to him
with unflinching tenacity. He recognizes his faithful follower’s tender
touch. He understands that the cause for which he came into our fallen world
is the cause to which this frail fellow has committed his life. Since
embracing the Savior as a teenager, Bill has carried in his heart a concern
for all kinds of people in all kinds of places. The races of the world have
been equally important to him. Since graduating from Wheaton College, this
North Carolinian has walked his talk around the block and across the seas.
Yes, William Franklin Graham is a living example of what it means to embrace
others with the love of God. In Billy Graham we see an elderly (but,
nonetheless, enduring) hugger of humanity.