Why is it ironic that I heard this past music melody?
Well, first I need to state that I also found it ironic that I found a letter I
wrote to a friend who came into my life for a very short time back in the early
part of 2012. I felt such a, for lack of a better word, burden for this guy as
he was going through some things that were very tough (that is his story to
tell and not mine, so I will just tell you that I believe God wanted me to see
the good in this kid and to let him hear God’s words through another vessel).
How does this relate to a song about “What goes around, comes around?” Well,
when I read this letter, I remembered the peace I felt when writing it; the
same peace when I read it today. It was a gentle reminder that our words are so
powerful. They can build or they can destroy; therefore, I want to thank God
for using the gifts he has blessed me with to speak love into the lives of
others and for speaking love into my life through the words of so many others.
Here is the letter written on that May evening:
“It has been so heavy laden on my heart that I write
you a letter before you leave. Let me just start out by saying what a blessing
you have been in my life. I feel so fortunate to have met you and develop a
friendship with you. I think it is pretty amazing how we met and just hit it
off from the beginning…from the goofy nights of dancing (I will always love
your signature move) to the movie watching/late night chats about everything
from our past hurts to your love of the movie Grease (when you told me this you
seriously moved up about 100 points on the cool scale). I have enjoyed every
moment spent with you and already cherish those fun times we have spent
together; I see so much good in you, I pray that you see that too. I truly
believe that God brought [all of us] together to build these amazing friendships
in order to mold us into better people. I wish I had deeper words of comfort to
offer you as you embark on this new season of life; I know it will be a
difficult one, but I also know that you are strong and kind and good;
therefore, this time spent away will be a
positive one. I cannot imagine how it feels to be leaving Colorado and those
close to you, but I do know that this pain is also a blessing. Without those
relationships, friendships, and memories, there would be no hurt to deal with
and because you are feeling these emotions it is just affirmation of the
beautiful relationships you have built out here. I feel like God has given me
such a gift to see your heart; a compassionate, gentle, and loving man who
loves people for who they are. You have already taught me so much about loving
others just from watching your interactions with people from all different
backgrounds and phases of life. You are truly one of the most fun loving people
I have ever met; your contagious energy and happy demeanor have spoken
multitudes into my life. I want you to know that I will be lifting you up in
prayer over these next few months because I know that God is just going to do
such a work in your life; I know He has great and amazing plans for you. The
verse that speaks to me so often and so deeply is Jeremiah 29:11-13 and I hope
that it resonates within you as it has with me:
“11 For I know the plans
I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then
you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all
your heart.”
God has a great future planned for
you; although, the bad comes into our lives, it will ultimately be turned into
good even if it is difficult or even impossible to see right now. Also, I
wanted to give you a journal. Writing has been such a wonderful aspect of my
life and I hope that you find it as healing as I have; you can write about
anything…your thoughts, struggles, worries, frustrations, praises…anything and
everything. This will be a wonderful gift to look back on as you come to see
that this journey is ultimately molding you into a stronger and better man for
some great future. If I can leave you with one last thought, let it be that God
works all things out for YOUR good; don’t forget that.”
Here is a bit of an epilogue to
this story: While I felt like I was losing a dear friend, my heart was mended
and healed as soon as I gave him this letter. It was as if God had a duty for
me to complete and once I did that, I was to move on. Furthermore, months
later I ran into this kid when he made his was back to Colorado for a visit and
he stopped me and told me how much the letter meant to him. It was very
humbling to see and feel God use His words of grace, hope, and love to speak to
another person. I pray that he will always use me to reach out to those around
me…to speak into their lives and encourage them to fill them with more hope
than they could possible imagine because ultimately when he gives me the words
to lift others up, He is lifting me up. It's funny that I came across this letter today because the second half of the letter felt like God was reiterating those promises to my heart at a time I most needed to hear them...like I said, “What goes around, comes
around.”
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is
helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit
those who listen.
For your personal enjoyment (don't pretend you didn't try to learn these sweet dance moves back in the day):
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