Happy Letter Writing Day; September 1

 

September 1:  Letter Writing Day

Talk about archaic! For those under 40, a letter is an actual piece of paper, upon which words are either written or printed.  That piece of paper is then placed inside another piece of paper, and after some more writing on the outside of that second piece of paper, a “stamp” is placed in the upper right corner.  Miraculously, those papers, after several days, reach their intended recipient, who then opens and reads the contents of that letter.   

World Letter Writing Day was established by Richard Simpkin as a tribute to the joy and excitement he felt when a hand-written letter would arrive in his mailbox.

Although the habit of writing actual letters has gone the way of the dinosaur, one kind of letter writing remains constant.  That is the letter that is your life.  It is an open letter, and everyone who encounters you reads it.  What is it saying?  What does it say about your character, your values, your convictions?  Above all, what does it say about what animates your life, what gives your life meaning and purpose?

In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, the Apostle Paul wrote,  “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Imagine, a letter from Christ!  That potential rests with every one of us who has put our trust in Him.  Every word we speak, every thing we feel, every thing we do is an entry in that letter.  And people are reading.  In our homes, our dorm rooms, our workplace, at the local restaurant, on the plane, in line at the Secretary of State.  They are all taking in the content of our hearts. 

Today, by the power of God’s Spirit, resolve to make entries into that letter that are writ large—concrete, observable entries that recommend Christ.  The question is not, will you do that.  You already are.  The question is, what are you writing there, and what are others reading?