The First Epistle of Sharon
I wrote a letter that went out in the church newsletter this week. It is also posted on the church website. Originally, I wrote it to send to Phillip, the pastor of University Baptist, in an email. It was very difficult to write, and it took all the courage I could muster up just to send it to Phillip. I was really in a dither when he asked if it could go in the newsletter. I write every day, and I have had years of practice of exposing my writing to others, but this was different. This was very personal. It was tough.
I told him it would be okay, though, because it just seemed like that was the thing to say. Then when I told my friend how nervous it made me, she said, "You have the ability to express something people need to hear. You'd be a jerk if you didn't do it." That pretty well settled that.
It's a good thing that I didn't actually know it was going to be in the newsletter that went out this week. I didn't have time to second guess what people were going to think of it before they started calling me. And people have called and emailed, and I've been very touched that they took the time to respond. I've also been, well, astounded by how many people have said my letter spoke to their own experiences growing up in church.
Today also happened to be the day that I answered the "Call to Commitment" and asked to join the church. I'd been talking to Phillip and others about this for several weeks, and today just seemed like the right day. It was in fact incredibly emotional because it coincided with that letter.
People who came through to "welcome me to the fold" were near tears at times. I left thinking, "This is a family. I've become part of a family." It was a very special experience.
I guess my point is that we never really know what power words can have, and sometimes it is those words that are the most difficult to wrench out of ourselves that we are called upon the most to share. And maybe the point of that is these are the words that require real love to express. We have to truly care about what we are saying and who we are saying it to in order to dig deep enough down that it hurts. Something to think about...
I told him it would be okay, though, because it just seemed like that was the thing to say. Then when I told my friend how nervous it made me, she said, "You have the ability to express something people need to hear. You'd be a jerk if you didn't do it." That pretty well settled that.
It's a good thing that I didn't actually know it was going to be in the newsletter that went out this week. I didn't have time to second guess what people were going to think of it before they started calling me. And people have called and emailed, and I've been very touched that they took the time to respond. I've also been, well, astounded by how many people have said my letter spoke to their own experiences growing up in church.
Today also happened to be the day that I answered the "Call to Commitment" and asked to join the church. I'd been talking to Phillip and others about this for several weeks, and today just seemed like the right day. It was in fact incredibly emotional because it coincided with that letter.
People who came through to "welcome me to the fold" were near tears at times. I left thinking, "This is a family. I've become part of a family." It was a very special experience.
I guess my point is that we never really know what power words can have, and sometimes it is those words that are the most difficult to wrench out of ourselves that we are called upon the most to share. And maybe the point of that is these are the words that require real love to express. We have to truly care about what we are saying and who we are saying it to in order to dig deep enough down that it hurts. Something to think about...
posted by Sharon Gerald | 5:45 PM
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