Living Epistles

Today’s scripture: 2 Cor 3:1-6 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (Steve Adams):

Think of a friend you can completely trust and love. You can tell this person ANYTHING you’re going through — the good, the bad, and the ugly — and he or she doesn’t love and respect you any less. This person is on your side! His or her love is deep. It’s true and total CONNECTION between the two of you — mind, soul, and spirit! This person can urge you to do — or not do — something, and it’s not an attack. You KNOW he or she truly wants what’s best for you. And yet whatever happens between the two of you, there are no strings attached. A request from one is never intended to motivate/manipulate the other into doing what is not authentic for that person. No, it’s simply love for love’s sake! Even disagreements become almost fun, because, through them you learn more of each other’s individuality and essence. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. I think that’s what was happening in the community in Corinth. They were going through the process of forming relationships. I’m sure some developed into close, lifetime friendships (maybe even marriages), while others didn’t develop into relationships at all. And there would have been countless variations between the two extremes.

So, how about taking some time to thank God for great friends? For me, I’m extraordinarily blessed to be able to call my husband Dan one of those. His faithful diligence to get the necessary, boring tasks done (like paying bills and doing our taxes) inspire me to do likewise (like cleaning the toilets and picking up dog poop from the yard). And, when I need a little push to get something necessary done, he tells me with a gentleness and respect that makes it much easier to motivate myself. I can tell him anything that bothers me — like a stupid mistake I’ve made which I feel terrible about, or a big fear — and he continues to love me and respect me just as much. Another example is my friend David, who consistently inspires me by the illustration of his life to let go of the painful things that sometimes happen, and simply live! An example is this quotation he texted me: Be kind to your sleeping heart. Take it out into the vast fields of light, and let it breathe (Hafiz).

As time passes, our treasured friendships become richer, benefitting from the increased context which time and experience provide. Often, they grow from being a short story into a full-fledged novel! II Corinthians 3:4 speaks of “trust” — trust that those to whom Paul speaks are living epistles, written in his heart. Their lives declare and illustrate God’s love to him. And I think this means there was a deep trust between them. He could closely fellowship or work with them without ever needing a letter of recommendation, such as today when we often ask our former employers to write a letter for us to submit to potential new employers, telling them we were a good worker. So, we can certainly count our blessings that we (hopefully) have people in our lives who are solid and dependable — not perfect, not error-free — but worthy of our trust!

Thought for the day: Thank God for the gift of close friends, whose hearts are “knit together in love” with ours in a way that encourages room for growth (even blossoming!); individuality yet unity. “That their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, even Christ” — Colossians 2:2, ASV.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.