September 4th, 2013 Commentary on Henri Nouwen's Daily Meditation

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Daily-Meditation--Healing-Letters.html?soid=1011221485028&aid=fGhouvFPZmk

In case the above link to Henri Nouwen’s Daily Meditation doesn’t work:

Wednesday September 4, 2013 

Healing Letters

When you write a very angry letter to a friend who has hurt you deeply, don't send it!  Let the letter sit on your table for a few days and read it over a number of times.  Then ask yourself:  "Will this letter bring life to me and my friend?  Will it bring healing, will it bring a blessing?"   You don't have to ignore the fact that you are deeply hurt.  You don't have to hide from your friend that you feel offended.  But you can respond in a way that makes healing and forgiveness possible and opens the door for new life.   Rewrite the letter if you think it does not bring life, and send it with a prayer for your friend.

My Commentary:

We have all been guilty of this I’m sure at one point in time or another.  Email is even worse, when you let your impulses run away with you.  Regret is probably one of the more painful realities you face when you’ve sent off a bubbling, flaming letter of stressed emotions.  Being taken to the brink, we often don’t even realize the awful things we’ve said or implied!  I never forgot this one really funny and ironic skit that Saturday Night Live did 20 plus years ago called the Honest Planet.  This was a planet where everyone spoke exactly what they were thinking at that very moment.  The last scene implied mushroom clouds in the background…  Very funny, but perhaps there’s a great reason why we have the capacity to think about what we should say, how we should respond to one another…. Politically the world is over-burdened expression and condemnation…  It hurts the reality that God wants us to be our authentic selves.  Being true to who you are includes responsibility and intentionality built by faith.  GRACE is the light, the fuel to bending our hearts to Christ’ will and speaking the truth in love to our neighbor from a humble, reconciling place….  Instead of words that divide, think, speak and be from Words that create unity and peace.

May God Bless Your Wednesdays!

Nicole Collins