Vol. 18 No. 47 | November 28, 2016
2 John 1:12,
“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”
Writers of the New Testament shared the Holy Spirit’s teachings in a similar style. They i
ncorporated their own personal feelings for their recipients and expressed their desire to share more, but with the preference that this be done “face to face”.
A similar sentiment exists with many preachers, almost all writers, and all close knit families. We can preach a sermon, write an article, send texts and emails, and have telephone conversations, but, in the end, we usually feel that there is always more that we wanted to share. We are fortunate to have access to all of these methods of communication, but they are insufficient for sharing the full expression of feelings from the depths of the heart.
So it is with John.
In his first letter, he gave what he called a ‘new teaching’ on the importance of loving one another, although this teaching was not new to many of Jesus’s followers. John reiterated his teaching that Jesus is the Christ to dismantle contradictory teachings from deceptive teachers on their mission to confuse Jesus’s followers.
It is essential to express your love for the Father by loving one another and your fellow human beings, and the importance of walking in love.
Paper and ink were not sufficient for communicating all of the things that John needed to share. Even though our methods of communication are vast and readily available to us, we may find it difficult to share our deeper thoughts until we are face to face.
- Serious and emotional discussions need to be shared face to face.
- Conversations about the future that involve plans for the future should happen face to face.
- Many business decisions should happen face to face.
- Tender and romantic conversations most surely should be face to face.
- An apology should be delivered face to face.
- Expressions of gratitude are more meaningful when exchanged face to face.
- Disappointment and heartbreak can be better expressed and handled face to face.
- Joy and happiness are better enjoyed and shared when face to face.
- Even anger is likely to be received and understood better when you can look into the eyes of the person with whom you are angry, or who is angry with you.
To be able to see the face of a loved one through an electronic device held in our hand or sitting on a tabletop is an absolute marvel of our day. Thanks to the technology we have available to us, many of us were blessed to share a Thanksgiving message with someone we love from hundreds or thousands of miles away. However, it is not the same as being able to reach over and touch their hand or see their expressions from across the table. I suspect we would all agree that it would have been better to have our loved ones home sitting next to us instead of looking at them through a screen.
This week you will likely have a moment of reflection or a thought of love that you would like to share with someone. Send a text, write an email, or make a phone call if you can or must, but if at all possible, do it face to face. You and whomever you are sharing it with will be blessed by it.
Tom
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2016. Tom Norvell. All Rights Reserved.