Words of Worth

“Hey – I left you something!”

July 29, 2011

Since my husband, two kids and I moved to Pennsylvania in the summer of 2006, we have learned to live “long distance”. Our family and friends remain in Mississippi where we had been our entire lives. We have discovered how to stay connected through texts, email, face book, phone calls, etc – any way we can “see” or “hear” our loved ones is worth the effort involved. But nothing takes the place of a visit in person and we have kept the airlines in business making the trek “back home” and welcoming family and friends to our home here.

Almost every time I visit my friends back in Mississippi, I will find somewhere in my room a little gift. They are rarely expensive – once it was a bowl of my favorite candy that I can’t find here and another time it was a wall plaque from the Dollar Store that said, “I’m glad there’s you”. These little touches remind me I am missed and they anticipated my arrival with great joy. When they come to visit me, I delight in having a small token ready for them.

And almost every time I’m the hostess and the visit is over, I will find yet another treasure waiting for me. It may be a simple thank you note or a coffee mug secretly bought for me while my friend and I were shopping. One particular mischievous friend wrote on several of my coffee filters then rearranged them so I had a great many fun moments “with her” over the next few weeks. So now when I say goodbye, I sometimes wonder, “Did she leave me something?” And if she were to call out to me as her car pulled away, “Hey, check the kitchen counter, there’s a surprise for you,” I would race back inside to seize that last moment of her nearness.

These small inexpensive tokens are really huge and meaningful gestures that help ease the sadness that distance can create. They remind me that although many miles separate us, our hearts are still entwined.

What would you do if someone precious to you left you a gift because they had to go away for a while?

What if they were leaving you more than just a smiley face drawn on a coffee filter?

When Jesus had to leave His disciples, He left them and us something that is sorely missing from the world. In fact, He even said that very thing. As He was preparing for His own journey home to heaven, which would take Him through the agony of death and the cross, He left us peace.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27

As wonderful as my friends may be to me and for me, only Jesus can give me peace. Notice it can’t be found in the world, and in the presence of peace there will be absence of trouble and fear.

Every time I used a coffee filter decorated by my friend, my mind and heart turned toward her. When our hearts and minds are turned toward Jesus, we can and will experience peace. (CT)

You keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you…Isaiah 26:3