Josh Knipple God's word like receiving mail each day
Jan. 29—You've got mail!
Anyone remember the excitement those three words used to bring, when you would open AOL, hear the ding and then the monotone voice saying, "You've got mail?"
Thinking back, I am not sure if it was the excitement of mail or the reality that you were finally connected to AOL after waiting for what seemed like an eternity to actually connect after all the random noises the dial-up connection made.
Maybe it was mail from your girlfriend, a happy birthday message, or someone who was new to email saying, "Hi."
Either way, there was a simple thrill to it.
How about when it was near your birthday and you would run to the mailbox to see if you got your long-awaited card from your grandparents? Inside, you knew, it contained just enough money to buy that new Lego set from Toys "R" Us.
Oh, the anticipation, the joy in getting mail.
Nowadays, even the post office sends an email telling you what is coming in your actual mail that afternoon. Kinda ironic, right? An email to show you an image of your real mail.
You see the package you have been waiting for that you ordered online. You know it is coming that day, but then it seems like the hours drag on as you wait. Yet, there is still the excitement for when you get home.
I say all this because our son, Eli, is the same way.
At 6 years old, he loves going to the mailbox with me each day to see what's there.
Some days he will say, "Just junk, Dad."
Other days, he will get excited and say, "Wow, that's a lot of mail, Dad."
He doesn't realize most of it is still junk or bills. He just knows that we received something.
So Lindsey and I decided the other day, because of his thrill of mail, that we would surprise him.
We went to Walmart, picked out a couple cards and then wrote personal notes about how much we loved them for our two boys.
The excitement it brought to him was incredible. When Eli opened the mailbox and saw his name on the envelope, he started screaming, "Eli, it says Eli, and Silas got one, too." Then before opening them, he took off running saying, "You've got mail!" toward Lindsey.
"Mommy, Mommy, I got mail."
It was totally worth the few bucks spent at Walmart to give him that moment of joy, and now they have cards they can hold onto. A simple reminder of our love.
Thinking about this the past couple days makes me wonder if we get the same thrill and joy from opening God's word.
Each and every morning we have the opportunity to receive a message from God. A message of him whispering, " I love you," straight to our soul. He wants to speak with us, and to us.
Would it bring us more thrill if he made the noise of a bell before it and a deep audible voice saying, "You've got mail?"
Maybe if he sent it in a letter with postage on the front? How about in a package sitting in front of our door for when we get home?
Would we have that same passion and anticipation, or have we allowed God's holy word to become part of our schedule, even mundane in our lives?
What if we still had the thrill just as Eli did saying, "Mommy, Mommy, God spoke with me today."
It might seem a little crazy to think about, but again, is this what Jesus meant when he said to have faith like a child — a simple joy and excitement?
God's word can truly be like receiving mail each day. When you spend time in it and allow the spirit to have a chance to speak, you might be surprised with what he has to say.
"But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law, he meditates day and night." — Psalms 1:2.
