Letters

After singing at a concert one evening, a person handed me a note of appreciation. It was so special that I kept it in my Bible for years. I would pull it out and read it when I needed a word of encouragement.

How long has it been since you received a letter? How long since you wrote one? Oh, I don’t mean an e-mail or a social media blurb. I mean a real, handwritten (or typed) message written on real paper, put in a real envelope and handed to or mailed to a person who needed or deserved a word of encouragement. It’s not a common thing anymore. In fact, I taught a class a couple of years ago at a writers conference called “The Lost Art of Letter Writing.” I thought that was an original and catchy title. But research on the internet revealed several headings like that. So, it wasn’t original; but it’s still a good phrase. And the point is that the power of well crafted words can make a significant impact on a person’s life.

Not everyone can write a book or a song or a poem. But anyone can write a letter. They won’t be as long or as meaningful as the apostle Paul’s epistles, but we can follow his example by telling someone he (or she) is loved and appreciated. We can challenge a friend to rise above the circumstances. Or we can nudge someone closer to the Savior.

I challenge you today to write to someone who is on your heart. I will take the challenge, too, and pray that God will use our words to make a difference in that person’s life. Is that important enough to motivate you to accept the challenge?