"If Paul could see the church today, we'd be getting a letter."
This image has crossed my path a couple of times. It is funny, but there is an ugly truth in it, too.
I still love letters. They were my lifeline to my church camp friends when I was a child. Long-distance calls were expensive, so we wrote letters. Those letters were treasures.
Email is great, but a handwritten letter holds a piece of a person forever in a handwriting sample. Never underestimate the joy a note can bring.
Paul's letters to the churches were full of hope, encouragement, and sometimes correction. His notes were brutally honest at times.
"I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.." -2 Corinthians 7:8-9
Paul sent his letters in love and in truth. They were eager to hear what he had to say. He was their mentor, teacher, and friend. He sometimes told them things they did not want to hear. Still, they savored each letter, memorized them, copied them, and shared them.
Today, I am grateful for letters.
No comments:
Post a Comment