You've Got Gold
My kids get tons of mail from colleges they'll never attend and ads for
magazines they'll never order. My husband has gotten scads of mail from
retirement organizations since he was in his early forties (he's still not sure
how to take that). I've often wondered if ours is some sort of default address
for every piece of mail no one wants. Yesterday was the topper. There was
important mail for (are you ready for this?) The cat! Seems Sammy is due for
some shots and there's a sale on catnip at the pet shop down the road. Do you
think I should tell those people that Sammy can't read?
Once we get the mail out of the box and it gets through the door, it seems some
kind of mail growth hormone is activated. One stack of mail can quickly become
three. Then the kids pilfer through it and suddenly it's seven. My husband just
thinks about touching the mail and it explodes four-fold more.
I'm amazed at how many advertising pieces my mail lady can fit into one small
mailbox. I thought it was interesting that I got a flyer advertising the latest
sale down at Farm Implements R Us. That could actually be helpful. Except I'm
not a farmer. Still, there are stacks of advertisements as tall as the corn
grows. Here a stack, there a stack, everywhere a mail stack. Okay, maybe I am a
farmer of sorts. And each day there's a new crop. If we could eat mail, I think
I could feed the world just from this one address. It's enough to make a person
go totally postal.
That doesn't even count email. If I told you how many emails I get in a day you
might just fall right out of your computer chair.
But those notes of encouragement? There's never an eyeroll when one of those
pops up. Ah, those are gold. Words of encouragement are always received with
great joy, no matter how many offers for prescription drugs and designer watches
are already in my box. Proverbs 25:11 says, "A word aptly spoken is like apples
of gold in settings of silver." (NIV) Do you know how positively wealthy I feel
when I find a silver-lined piece of gold fruit in my inbox? Talk about precious!
I want to filter out some of the word clutter better than I do my mail stacks.
As a matter of fact, I think I'll challenge myself to find someone who could use
a kind word of encouragement today and then offer that person a taste of gold
fruit. Would you like to take the challenge with me? 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11a
instructs us to do that very kind of thing. "He died for us so that, whether we
are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one
another and build each other up." (NIV)
Less clutter. More gold. That's going to make for a great harvest. E, I, E, I,
O.
Rhonda Rhea rrhea@juno.com
Rhonda Rhea writes for dozens of Christian publications and speaks at
conferences and events across the country. You can find her books, "Who Put the
Cat in the Fridge," "Turkey Soup for the Soul--Tastes Just Like Chicken," and
"Amusing Grace" at your local Christian bookstore. "I'm Dreaming of Some White
Chocolate--Christmas Reflections with a Little Holly and a Lot of Jolly" will be
available in 2006. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is a pastor in Troy, Missouri.
You can reach them through her Web site at:
www.rhondarhea.net.