Postcards from the Edge

What’s the coolest postcard you’ve ever received? My friends and family have traveled to some fabulous places so I’ve been the recipient of awesome cards. But my mom takes the cake. A few months ago she and my stepfather were visiting family in Switzerland and they sent me a postcard that looked like a big block of Swiss cheese–holes and all. It’s the funniest card I’ve ever seen. But I had a hard time following their message on the other side around the holes.

Generally people send postcards to share pictures of what they’ve seen or done as they write warm thoughts to someone they care about. However, I do know one girl who decided to use a postcard to send a “Dear John” letter to break up with her boyfriend as he spent the summer in Spain. The problem was that she couldn’t fit much text on one postcard. So she ended up sending five postcards to explain the situation. Unfortunately, he only received three of the five postcards and didn’t get the whole story of who “Jason” was. Lesson learned: Never send a series of postcards to break up with someone.

Postcards aren’t as popular these days as they used to be.

Now that we can text and email from anywhere in the world, and share pictures within seconds of taking them, the allure of postcards has died out. But there’s something to be said about handwriting a special note and sending it off to arrive on an unknown date. The recipient will be surprised to know that when we were in that place we were thinking of them.

What if we were to send a postcard to someone today to let them know they’re on our mind? Who would you send it to and what would you say?

Would you send it to your parents or sister who you haven’t seen in months? Would you send it to a long lost friend to say you wish things had turned out differently? Would you send it to someone you love, just because?

Words of encouragement, forgiveness, and affection never go out of style. And they’re not shared enough. Often we don’t dare express our true thoughts and feelings because we’re afraid of how the other person may respond. What if they don’t reciprocate? What if they don’t feel the same way we do?

But what if they do, and we never knew because we were too scared to be honest?

New scenario: If you knew that you were living on the edge of life and death, and you only had time enough to write one postcard, who would you send it to? What would you say?

Time is running out. On the edge, fear of making a fool of ourselves is quickly overshadowed by fear of regret if we never told them how we truly feel. And it’s not necessarily a potential lover that we want to contact. Maybe it’s our best friend, our sister, who would never know how much she helped in our dark days. Maybe it’s our young daughter, our reflection, and we want to share wisdom and love for her to carry with her in the years to come. Maybe it’s our father who was the life raft that kept us from sinking time and time again. Maybe it’s our husband who we’ve taken for granted and never esteemed the way he deserves. Warm thoughts ignite the heart and cover over a multitude of hurts.

I want to challenge you to send a postcard from the edge. Today.

Let go of any fear and put your soul into it. Think of it as one last message. One short note that opens your heart and lets someone see a part of you they’ve never known. And who knows? Maybe this postcard could be the first of many special surprises. Hopefully it won’t be your last note, but view it with that kind of urgency. And if you don’t have an actual postcard, just use a small piece of paper or an index card and mail it in a regular envelope. You can even draw your own little picture on the front to make it look like a postcard.

One day. One card. One short note. One intimate message. One life that will be impacted by what you have to share.

“Kind words bring life.” Proverbs 15:4 (GNT)

May I pray?

Dear God, we underestimate the power of our words. Kind words can pour life into a weary soul, harsh words can tear apart someone’s hopes and joy, and no words can leave another empty and concerned. Encourage us today as we share the gift of a special message. Grant us the courage to open our heart as if today we were living on the edge. May You be glorified as we overcome our fears and leave regret behind. Amen.

Q4U: Who will you send a postcard to and what message will you share?

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