Let It Spill

I knew the message would be congenial and kind, encouraging even.

I knew it was coming, as she had requested my email address.

And yet, the flurries in my stomach were mixed: part jitters, part curiosity…

What did she have to tell me, this teen minister from my youth?

I clicked on her name in my inbox.

I want you to know I love you. And I am on your side. ALWAYS.

They were simple words. Profound words.

And they were simply profound.

Each sentence preceding these concluding words in the email surrounded my tender heart with unconditional love and a growing awe that here, before my eyes, were the very sentiments I’d longed to hear. For years.

I understood instantly what she meant. In the personal battle I’m fighting–claiming freedom and healing of my childhood wounds, she affirmed my worth and dignity. In circumstances which have divided families and loyalties, my healing required the voice that asserted:

I’m not concerned about fixing everyone. I hear you, and I’m here to stand up for you.

There is a time for forgiveness of past wrongs, extending grace, and sometimes reconciliation. And I am mostly there.

There is a time for receiving the love of God through others to grow in love for both. That’s what I desperately needed.

There is a time for following the promptings of the Spirit, fortified by the grace the Father gives. That is what she did.

Fortified by grace, she stepped out in faith and wrote to me.

With the healing words I needed to hear.

When I needed to hear them.

I don’t know if the words came easily to her or if they were hard to write. I just know she wrote them.

And I know the eternal impact they’ve made.

I love that she was so steeped in the Spirit that she heard His prompting.

That she was so filled with His love that she spilled it all over me.

And isn’t that something we all could do? Spare a few heartfelt words, or a smile, or a listening ear?

Let someone else know: I see you. You matter.

I love you.

Spill a little truth and light into their world?

…be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. –1 Peter 3:8

***

Has someone reached out to you recently? How have you reached out to others?