Here’s an interesting observation:
Letters make words! Words make letters!
Letter has two definitions:
1.
a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet.
2.
a written, typed, or printed communication, especially one sent in an envelope by mail or messenger.
I have been doing some organizing at my home in an upper room in my husband’s shop.
While organizing, I came across a plastic container with some letters.
These were hand written letters.
Three of the letters fell out of the container and I grabbed them up to read later.
When the day came that I read these letters, I was not prepared for how they made me feel.
They made me feel really nauseated, deep in the pit of my stomach.
These letters were love letters. One from my big brother and two from my sweet mama.
Why did they make me feel so sick? I wasn’t even sure, yet!
Here is an excerpt from the letter my big brother left for me on his kitchen counter dated 10-8-1983.
Debbie,
We rejoice with you in the success you’ve had in getting a new job. I trust you will give God credit as HE guides you to greater heights. You’ve only just begun! ...
Your uncle ( my mama’s brother) called and wants you to go to church with him sometime...
Be good; do what you do, do well; and be sweet, crisp, clean, and modest. You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. (Phil. 4:13)...In His Steps, Don
Don was my half brother. We have the same Dad but different mothers. He was a pastor at a Baptist church in Lynn Haven, FL at the time he wrote this letter.
I was living in the small town of Graceville, FL and wanted a change, so I contacted him and asked if I could stay with him and his family until I could find a job and a place of my own.
He welcomed me to stay, with these two conditions:
I must attend church and tithe.
I moved in with him and his family and went to church and tithed, but with little passion.
The other two letters that I read were mailed to me from my mama.
One was dated 2-3-1986. Here are a couple of touching lines from it:
My Darling girl,
...So you and Jane (my roommate) take real good care of yourselves and I’ll be praying for you both...take care now. I’m so proud of your grades (I was attending college part time)...Love, Mom and Dad
The second letter mailed to me from my mama was dated 9-18-1986. Here are some touching words from it:
Darling Girl,
I hope this finds you feeling even better than yesterday, do hope things work out for the best for you. Try real hard to remember that anger doesn’t help anything, I know sometimes it’s hard but you will see it works better the kind way...Honey, just try to take things one day at a time. Just turn your problems over to the Lord, for remember, we could do nothing without him, but if we don’t ask him and trust in him he can’t help us...Much, much love Mom & Dad & All
Slowly I realized that I was grieving about times in my life when I didn’t really know the Lord or for that matter, want to know him. I was saddened by the time that I missed.
Yes, I went to church and tithed but only because it was required of me.
As soon as I found a townhouse I could afford near the beach, I left my brother’s home and his church and never returned to church again until October of 1996.
I realized I waisted over 10 yrs of my life living in the world and not in God’s Word. Yes, it greatly grieved me and I asked for his forgiveness. I realized God had given me a godly brother, a godly uncle, and a godly mother who tried so hard to direct me with words and letters to put God first in my life.
How in the world I just ignored their love and kinds words, I’ll never truly understand.
This morning I started reading in a new Bible called The Passion Translation and for some reason I started reading in Revelation.
I came across the letters Jesus lovingly wrote to the seven churches.
Christ’s letter to Laodicea seemed to help me better understand why I felt so sick about the years I waisted in the world instead of his word.
Here are a few excerpts from that letter:
Revelation 3:15-17, 19, 22
I know all that you do, and I know that you are neither frozen in apathy nor fervent with passion. How I wish you were either one or the other!
But because you are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, I am about to spit you from my mouth.
For you claim, “I’m rich and getting richer-I don’t need a thing.” Yet you are clueless that you’re miserable, poor, blind, barren, and naked!
...All those I dearly love I unmask and train. So repent and be eager to pursue what is right...The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying now...
I wish that my heart had been open to the words the Spirit was speaking to me through my brother and my uncle’s many invites to church and my mothers encouraging words, but as Jesus stated, I was clueless.
I didn’t understand the reason my life was so miserable is because Jesus was standing at the door knocking and I wasn’t interested in dining with him at all.
That is why I felt so sick. Because I know now the lukewarm state I was living in made Jesus sick too.
I am very thankful I am fervent with passion now but very sorry I waisted all those years just bring lukewarm.
I have repented and I am eager to pursue what is right and I now find myself writing letters to others in hopes they will have ears to hear what the Spirit is speaking to them, through me.
Here’s a challenge for you:
Read Christ’s letters to the seven churches and ask for an open heart and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.
Repent if you find yourself identified in any of these letters and be eager to pursue what is right.
Think of at least one person you could write a love letter to that might need to hear godly words of encouragement. Be sure to pray for them and believe one day they will have open hearts to what the Spirit is speaking through you.
Darling Jesus,
I am thankful I can write this letter to you today. I am thankful I finally heard you knocking and listened to you and repented and began to eagerly pursue what is right.
Thank you for never giving up on me. I pray for those who may be deaf to your knocking. I know they are clueless and miserable. So I ask fervently that their ears would be open to hear your knocking at the door of their heart.
I pray they too would repent and be eager to pursue what is right. Thank you Jesus.
Much, much love Debbie.
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