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Jan 28, 2026 06:00am

If God Wrote You a Letter, What Would It Say?

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“Mrs. McCoy…”

The intercom crackled to life.

Sitting in class, busy finishing my work, I would hear the distinct click of the intercom as Mrs. Jenneal’s voice came across the speaker.

“…please send Yalanda to the office.”

Every head turned toward me, and immediately my mind began to race.

What did I do?

What am I in trouble for? Did I say something? Did I do something I wasn’t supposed to?

Fear and worry filled me as I wondered why I was being summoned. A million scenarios ran through my mind—none of them good.

The key would be the look on Mrs. Jenneal’s face when I arrived. A genuine smile would mean everything was fine—probably just a message from my mom, or maybe someone had dropped something off for me. But a half-smile, more polite than joyful, would mean, I’m sorry for what you’re about to endure. And, of course, a frown would be a dead giveaway.

I turned the handle on the blue door, opened it, and immediately searched her face for the answer.

Ephesians 1:1–2 says:

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”

In Paul’s day, letters were written often to the churches, and the recipients would know immediately what kind of message they were receiving as soon as the scroll was opened. It might be a letter of correction or warning—addressing sin, compromise, or a reliance on the law.

But this letter, based on Paul’s greeting, reveals something different.

He calls them God’s holy people and faithful followers of Jesus.

This is a letter of encouragement—written to strengthen believers in their faith and to promote unity within the church.

What an honor it must have been to be known as holy and faithful, especially considering where they lived.

Ephesus was a major city in the Roman Empire. The temple of Diana—the Greek goddess of fertility—was located there. The cultural and societal pressures were intense, yet these believers were still found to be faithful and set apart.

It makes me pause and wonder… what kind of letter would we receive today?

One written to our church.
One written personally to us.

Would we be found faithful and holy? Or would we dread opening the envelope once we saw who it was from?

Let us be people who stay focused on Christ, His mission, and reflecting His character to the world around us.

Want to know more? Visit follow.lifeword.org to learn more about following Jesus. You can also find resources in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.