All God’s people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:13-14

Last Thursday was the Thanksgiving holiday. Do you remember the spoken words as you were walking out the door? Or perhaps you were the host and waving goodbye and called out a blessing? Or maybe, it was the final goodbyes online. Maybe something like, “Be sure to tell your mom hello for us.”

Oftentimes, we send our love and greetings to those who weren’t present. The people who we thought about and think of fondly. We end with kind words. It’s those words that leave us with a warm feeling.

You may have heard that a first impression isn’t what about what was said or how it was said, but about the feeling produced. There’s a difference between “Hello” and a cold turn of a shoulder, and “Hello!” with a hug that would melt the coldest of hearts. (Perhaps we are getting close to the Christmas season here, because I just thought about the Grinch.)

Paul ends his letters to the Corinthians with greetings and a blessing. Words mattered to Paul, otherwise he wouldn’t have written so many letters. And, how he closed those letters left readers with a sense of hope, peace, and love.

While this certainly isn’t my final blog post, it is one to spark encouragement and give you an update so that by the end, you may feel warm in these colder months. Think of it as a feast of blessings that I share with you, and then the parting words that bring hope for your future.

• My book, Hopelessly Hopeful During Separation, is available in hardcover for a limited time. You can order your copy here.
• You have landed on a blog page (or subscribed to my blog). The full site is located at HopelesslyHopefulBooks.com. The new book trailer is at the top of the homepage. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for additional links and bonus devotionals!
• I’ve recorded a podcast and episode for “Broken and Beautiful” which airs on Spirit 820 AM (Seattle area) Sundays at 6:30 am and 9:30 am. Once the link is posted, you’ll find that at HopelesslyHopefulBooks.com/Media

Now that you’ve heard all the blessings that I have, let me give one to you: Steward all you have been given through God by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the holiness of Jesus.

Photo by Nana Lapushkina from Pexels

© 2021, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.org.