The Tablet of My Human Heart

I love it when I read back over scripture and I find something new to me among the familiar passages. Today, I was reading in 2 Corinthians 3 and ran across this:

“You show that you are a letter from Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Paul was referring to the letters of recommendation that false teacher’s used to give themselves authority, but he felt true disciples did not need letters written in ink to authenticate their connection to the gospel of Jesus.

I read these words today and was struck by the imagery of people writing letters from Christ onto the hearts of others. I have received many such “letters” recently. Through the kind words of encouragement and care from friends near and far, whether through actual letters, emails, phone calls, or one on one meetings I have been blessed by the “Spirit of the living God” writing on the tablet of my heart using these dear people. Whether they knew it or not, they were doing the physical work of writing a letter from Christ to me. It is good to recognize that we are imperfect pens writing the perfect words of Jesus on imperfect hearts. I know I don’t always recognize the forms that God’s grace and mercy to me take on. I was so happy to find this beautiful metaphor of how Christ ministers to our hearts lingering among words I have read often. Maybe Pierce Pettis will write a song about these “letters” that come in Envelopes of Light! In the beautiful and appropriate words of St. Teresa of Avila:

'Christ has no body now but yours,No hands, no feet on earth but yours.Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world,Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.'

For some inexplicable reason, Christ has put His pen into our sin wrecked hands to bless one another in His name. Thank you to everyone who has written on this feeble, human heart.