[Starr Ayers] Living Out Loud

“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone” (2 Corinthians 3:2, NIV).

My novel-in-waiting, For the Love of Emma (January 1, 2021), is loosely based on love letters written by a young soldier to my mother prior to World War II. Words filled with love, heartache, and history, scripted in beautiful penmanship upon timeworn pages, have unearthed hidden treasures and offered sentimental glimpses into the heart of the author. Words are timeless. Written or spoken, they have the ability to reveal the true character of the messenger.

In earlier years, letter writing was the primary means of communicating across great distances. In today’s text-crazed digital society, a day when cursive is seldom taught in public schools, letter writing has become a lost art. When was the last time you opened your mailbox and found a handwritten letter—or wrote one? Beyond a few lines scratched inside a Christmas card, I can’t remember.

Today, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, over three billion people around the world are undergoing a degree of sheltering-in-place and social distancing. Neighbors, who yesterday wouldn’t glance up from their cell phones to greet each other during an afternoon stroll, now yearn to embrace one another with a warm hug. As most Americans adhere to the strict stay-at-home orders issued by their governors, we scramble for ways to communicate with family and friends. We’ve had to hone our technical skills as well as reload our fountain pens.

In 55AD, Christians in Corinth tried in the crucible of an immoral society were failing the test. They’d sought to blend in—to not go against the status quo of a city where corruption and idolatry ran rampant. Against this backdrop, Paul had built a relationship of trust among the believers and wrote a letter saying, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV).

At first glance, his words seem prideful, but the Gospels had not been written, and believers had no knowledge of how to emulate Christ. The most effective way to steer them toward godly living was to point them to a Christian they trusted. Paul revealed that their very lives were letters available for anyone to read by simply observing them. What a breath of fresh air Paul and his message must have been amid the stench of gutters in their decaying society.

We live in a culture similar to that of Corinth—one where people clamor for notoriety, hunger for power, swindle their way toward wealth, and justify the killing of the unborn. We, too, are called to be living letters for Christ. Most of us would feel unworthy of voicing Paul’s bold declaration of “follow my example,” but others will observe our walk. How do the letters of our lives read? What do our actions reveal about our character? Do they line up with our words?

There’s a quotation often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” Though not actually coined by him, this quote accurately portrays his character. St. Francis believed the authenticity of the Gospel message he voiced with his lips would be best validated through the nature of the life that he lived.

During this time of social distancing, as we seek ways to make an invisible Christ visible, let’s remember our most effective testimonies may be unspoken ones. Be a letter worth reading. LIVE IT OUT LOUD!