When the Paddle Is Not Needed

A Reflection for the Sanctuary of Affection

There are days when correction is not the call.

When the ache is not rebellion, but longing.

When the soul does not need a lesson—

It needs to be held.

There are sanctuaries built on discipline,

And there are sanctuaries built on affection.

Both are holy.

But today, the paddle is not needed.

Today, love arrives without rebuke.

It wraps itself in linen and warmth,

It whispers, “You are not broken. You are beloved.”

No spectacle. No shame.

Just the quiet miracle of being seen

And not corrected.

Let this be the liturgy of tenderness.

Let this be the theology of embrace.

Let this be the restoration that comes

Not through fire,

But through affection.