Not chiseled in stone

Back in caveman days, the hammer and chisel were employed to record specific details that may have needed recording for others to see. The stone would be carved out, or perhaps a large section of fallen tree. The use of such rudimentary tools to communicate are a thing of the past. In today's electronic age, we seldom resort to "snail mail" as a means of keeping in touch with others in our lives, much less the use of hammer and chisel on stone. It is the "immediacy" of email and instant messaging which makes it all the more appealing to us - the ability to 'get the message out' to the intended audience in record speed draws us in. In the past, the "news" we'd share about changes in our lives would come via the postal service, arriving to the recipient days after the "news" was indeed "news". In the military, we had mail call. It was a time when we'd all gather around in hopes of one link to home in the form of a small envelope filled with "news" and maybe even a little token of love. In turn, our loved ones would hurry to the mailbox when they'd see the familiar mailman's truck passing by, hoping from news from their loved one stationed so far away. We all want to know the "news" of another's life - but we forget just how this 'news' is really recorded.

Does it sound like we're patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well, we're not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it. (2 Corinthians 3:1-3 MSG)

We are all "writing letters" of a different sort - the letter written on a human heart touched by the hand of a forgiving and loving God. These are letters which are "read" by many, oftentimes without us even knowing we are 'being read'. The "news" of a changed life is indeed something to be heralded. I want to challenge us for a moment. Let me pose a couple of thoughts about what is perhaps being "written" in our hearts today - news we may not even realize is being recorded there. "News" is the report of something recent - a new event or occurrence. What can you point to in your life today which reflects the hand of God writing on your heart something which is new or fresh? If you are having a little difficulty with this one, then maybe it is time to seek him out - taking some time to allow his touch to be felt almost always assures us of seeing the evidence of his "writing" in our lives.

It may not be understood, but "news" is usually a collection of things - not just one point or idea. In order to "frame" the "news", one has to "tell the story" - from various angles and vantage points. When God sets out to write his story in us, he "frames" the story. There is something about God's writing that points others to see the trail grace has made as it traces over our souls. In the reviewing of the various "points", one begins to see a clear picture of who and what God has done in our lives - drawing them in to have God do similar things in theirs. "News" is something written and expressed - it is not "news" if it is kept to oneself. It is simply "new" knowledge if we keep it to ourselves. God's purpose for "writing" on our hearts is so others can see and enjoy the story. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that he did not need all kinds of letters of endorsement from others - his greatest letter of endorsement was his changed life. Our lives are evidence of God's "re-creative" power. They are "news" worthy of expression. So, really there are various forms of "mail" we read in life - the instant electronic type, the snail mail type, and the ever-present "mail" of a life touched by his hand. Others are "reading" us each and everyday. I wonder what "news" they will see today by looking upon my life? How about yours - what "news" will you reveal to others today? Just askin!