Recently I received a message that so vividly illustrates an attribute that each of us should have. It gives details of events that happened at least sixty-five years ago. I have no remembrance of any specific interaction I had with the person who wrote it, but it has had such a positive, uplifting impact on my life since I opened Facebook and read the following words.
“This is a spur of the moment message. I was reminiscing this morning about my early years in the church and thought of how influential you were in my teenage years when you preached at the church in Harvest. So, I simply searched on Google and found you in Florida—still preaching the gospel. It is never too late to acknowledge someone who was helpful to me as I navigated the awkward teenage years. All of my best to you, Judie and your family.”
I was still in my teens when I preached at this small congregation near Huntsville, Alabama, and I cannot remember any sermon or class I taught in that church. I am struggling to remember the person who sent this note to me. I have trouble remembering the names of any person who was a member of this congregation. Yet somehow, she recalls those days, and her expression of gratitude has impacted me so deeply.
Isn’t this exactly what those who received a “message of remembrance” from the apostle Paul experienced? In so many of his epistles, he looked at past associations and wrote encouraging words to others. He said to Philemon, “I thank my God always when I remember you” (1:4). He wrote to the church in Thessalonica and said, “We give thanks to God always for you all…remembering without ceasing your….faith… love…hope” (1:2-3). There is a great blessing to us when we remember those who have blessed our lives in the past and let them know about it.
There is not enough space in this article to quote the many other times Paul remembered his past association with others and took time to let them know how thankful he was for them. Take time to read Eph. 1:15-16; Col. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 1:3-5. There is not just a blessing in our lives with others in the past, there is a blessing in letting them know.
These thoughts are not written to exalt that young preacher as being anything special, but to emphasize the impact of words of appreciation. We can be thankful for those in our past, and we should be, but God used Paul to give us insight into the importance of expression of the debt we owe to every person. These thoughts are written hoping that you will look at those who in the past have touched your life and to write and let them know.
Thanks, Lynda, for writing and giving me a blessing.
-Dan Jenkins
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