It's silly, I know. I clearly have no life.
But today is exactly why I think I love it so much. Because along with a bill and a solicitation, I got this pretty little card...
This sweet lady, who most definitely has the gift of encouragement, took time out of her day to send me a heartfelt, handwritten note to tell me that she sees Jesus in me, and it seemed to totally flip the script of how my own heart has been speaking to me over the past couple of weeks. Her gracious words were a honeycomb; sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16:24), and I could not be more thankful!
But I didn't write this just to toot my "I Got Some Great Mail" horn. As soon as I realized the effects this little note had on my attitude and my heart, it made me reflect on the beauty of what we all have in each other. It made me so thankful that God didn't put us here on this earth to walk in isolation and loneliness. He gave us community and family, not only in our neighborhoods and in our blood relatives, but in His Church.
This sister in Christ of mine took the time to use a gift God has given her, and it blessed me in ways I'm sure she could have never anticipated. We are here to bless each other. We are here to walk alongside each other in this hard, hard life. We are here to love and encourage and support and build up and teach and minister to and help each other. And if we aren't doing that, if we're not using the gifts we were given, then we're just kind of... well to be blunt, we're just kind of useless. And that's never any good.
So take some time in your day to be a blessing to another human being. Serve someone. Put someone before yourself. Give to someone. Encourage someone. Smile at someone. Ask how you can help someone. Look for ways to turn someone else's day around, even if your own day hasn't been so great. Love someone. That is what we are here for, especially us believers. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to someone, and see what a difference it makes in this world.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
{Romans 12:6-10, NLT}