a letter of encouragement...literally

At the end of another chaotic day in Mr. Coyle's neighborhood, I went to my school mailbox to retrieve any notes with my name on them. There was the typical teacher magazine, lunch money notes, and other odds'n'ends. However, at the bottom was a letter from a lady living in Susquehanna township (for her sake, I will refrain from revealing her name). I have never met this lady, but, after today, I would certainly like to. She introduced the letter by telling how she read about my hiring in the township newsletter. She saw I graduated from Messiah college and took a leap of faith. This leap of faith was God reminding me, once again, that He is a faithful, loving, compassionate, and gracious God.

"He (God) has called me to commit to pray regularly for you throughout this school year...My initial prayers have been centered on your personal relationship with Him-that you would be growing stronger and deeper as a Christian...I will continue to pray for you and your class during the year as God leads me. However, if you have a specific need, request, or praise that you would like to share with me, feel free to get in touch with me..."

To be honest, I am still in speechless awe of our God. My heart is in a hybrid state of amazement/shame. The amazement is in the sheer idea a stranger writing me a letter to express her desire to pray for my students and me (and boy do we need it!). In addition, God is showing me that despite how much bigger He is than my petty struggles, He still actively cares for them. The shame stems from my lack of trust in God to provide me with the comfort and encouragement I need. Also, what would it take for me to take similar leap of faith to encourage a believer I have never met? Again, speechless. My ultimate response was this: praise of the Father through thanking my new friend. In my email back to her, I simply told her (in these exact and more words, of course) what Paul said to the church in Philippi;

"I thank my God every time I remember you" (Philippians 1:3)*

*This verse also applies to all those who are diligently bearing me up before the throne of grace each and every day; I truly covet your prayers.