Yesterday I went to the mailbox expecting the usual ads and bills but instead pulled out a card from a dear old friend who took the time to write the sweetest message. In a nutshell, what she said was, “Sometimes I think you need reminding that you matter.”
My. Goodness. When is the last time I took the time to do something like that? I made an immediate commitment to mail at least three cards this week "and this time I mean it" because it was so uplifting. And so unexpected. And given my general state of self-absorption these days, undeserved. But I’m so thankful for it. And for her. And for all the friends I can’t hug right now.
We might think the people we love don’t need to hear that simple message, but they do: You matter.
That sweet card moved into “God is trying to tell you something” territory when I opened Biblegateway.com this morning and read the verse of the day:
Are not five sparrows
sold for two farthings,
and not one of them is forgotten before God?
But even the very hairs of your head
are all numbered.
Fear not therefore:
ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
So much in The Big Bad World devalues human beings—from violence to mean Facebook comments. We daily devalue each other, and that’s not how we're meant to be. If God values each of us—not just humanity in general but each one of us in particular—then we should value each other.
And if there’s a silver lining to all the social distancing and quarantining, I hope it’s that it teaches us to value each other—to treasure the simple joy of a hug or a handshake or a backyard burger shared with friends and family.
My prayer, this Sunday morning, is that distance makes us value togetherness and celebrate the gift of community.
[Image by Aleksandar Momirovic @ Freerangestock.com]
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