Letters

In some ways, many ways actually, Holy Spirit and I have an odd working relationship.  Odd as in the way it works; odd that He is longsuffering towards me for it to be so.  Let’s say He is a patient teacher as far as I’m concerned.  Around the time when I was really beginning to discover who I am in Christ, a scribe, He gave me the revelation that the apostles were primarily writing the experiences they had with Christ.  Though they were with Him together they each told their own story.  Of course I wondered, then, if they knew years later people would be quoting their words like the kingdom equivalent of incantations but that’s another story.  He clearly and simply told me to write my story.  To a degree I have done that– this blog for instance, but as I continue to walk further with the Lord my story gets deeper, more personal.

I mentioned our odd working relationship.  Generally, before I write, He will give me a word, a phrase, or even a scripture to start with.  Other times I will get an unction to do something out of the ordinary.  This time I’ve been wanting to find a pen pal.  You know, handwritten correspondence, perhaps using cursive or whatever that thing is I do with letters that is really a combination of cursive and printing, so the parties involved can find encouragement in their mailboxes.  Yes, that correspondence stuff.  I grandly envisioned enough people on board to turn around the fate of the United States Postal Service. Do people other than bill collectors send letters anymore?

Anyway, while looking through boxes of papers I came across a letter I had written to my husband back in 1993.  The gist of it was a heartfelt let’s try this marriage thing again even after the infidelities, verbal and physical abuse. Yes, my sad little life as a folded two page letter beginning to yellow and still holding the jagged edges on top from the spiral notebook I ripped them out from.  I also found two letters that I had written in 1997 to people I had met at a business conference.  Those were quite entertaining.  I must have thought it better not to send those to avoid the appearance of being silly.  In retrospect joy never hurt anyone and joy was leaping off of the pages! We must have had a great time.  I found letters that I had written to pastors of a church…  Don’t get me started with the multiple drafts I have saved on email.  The point is because I never sent the letters I will never know if my career would have gone in a new direction and given a new life. I don’t know if that letter to my husband would have been the necessary breakthrough my marriage needed. (Man, when God out that curse on Eve He wasn’t kidding! Genesis 3:16) I don’t know how much further along my spiritual journey would be had I sent the letters to those pastors.  Those I withheld because I had written too many letters with no response.  That’s the drawback of being a scribe– having more words than people have time to read.  Sounds much like the Bible doesn’t it? It, too, has more words than people take time to read.  Oh, but the beautiful letters it contains. In case you are wondering I am sighing right now.

So what was Holy Spirit showing me with this exercise, a lesson in regrets? No.  But clearly He and I have some matters to address.  I hope privately, though. Let’s talk about the apostle Paul instead.  What if the letters he wrote to the Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, etcetera, were never delivered?  How would those churches of old have fared without his explicit written guidance to look upon?  How would today’s church have fared without them?  What if none of the apostles documented their experiences with Christ?  As I write I realize I have more questions than answers.  If you know me by now that’s no big surprise.  Jesus is the AUTHOR and finisher of our faith.  I had the author part down and I’ve got a track record of lacking in the finisher department.  Not to worry. If Holy Spirit reveals a thing you’d best believe He is also working on that thing He has revealed.  So tell me, what letters are you writing? They may be the very ones to change your world and the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:27