A WORD FOR TODAY, October 3, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 3, 2025
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue, by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, perseverance; and in perseverance, godliness; and in godliness, brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love. For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to not be idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:1-11, WEB
I did not meet very many of the “friends” I knew in the internet chat rooms. Those chat rooms were early programs and did not include the kind of technology we have in social media today. We did not even have avatars to know them by face. I had a friend named Vivian that I talked to often in both the chat rooms and instant messenger. We shared our hopes and fears; we prayed for each other. We never talked on the phone (it was very expensive to call between England and the United States.) We knew each other very well, but only by our words. We had never gone out to lunch or a movie. We had never even looked each other in the eye or given a hug, until a wonderful opportunity happened.
Vivian was a flight attendant, so she was able to get inexpensive flights around the world. She decided to take her daughter Katie to London for a few days. She couldn’t imagine not meeting since they were so close, so we planned to spend some time together. I drove to the airport to pick them up for our very short visit, uncertain whom I was meeting. She sent me a photo so I might recognize her when they arrived, but people change, and photos can be deceiving. I made a little sign so that they would know who I am, but I didn’t use it because I was certain I would recognize her. After all, we knew each other so well.
I arrived at the airport with time to spare but discovered that their plane had landed early. I stood expectantly at the gate, looking at each woman, hoping something would click. Most people I could easily dismiss because they had small children or male companions. I saw several pairs of women pass, but none clicked. I went to the monitor to check on the status of the flight, and it showed the flight was not yet coming through customs. So, I went back to watch.
Two lovely women kept walking by, standing close, looking at me. I had seen these two women as they came out of customs, but for some reason it didn’t click. I realized they were there standing near me. They were whispering back and forth, because neither of them wanted to ask me if I was Peg. Finally, I looked straight at Vivian, and she said, “Are you Peg?” I said, “Vivian?” And we laughed at how close we were without knowing for sure who we were.
I was blind and, in my effort to recognize her, I refused the opportunity to make it easier on both of us by using my sign. How often do we do that in our Christian walk? We know how much God loves and knows us, and we know there is nothing we can do to make Him love and know us any better. Yet, we don’t always accept the opportunities to show people who I am and whose I am. We hesitate to wear our faith on our sleeves, and there is perhaps good reason to do so. We live in a dangerous world that rejects everything about God. However, we are to be the light in a world of darkness, holding Christ so that others will see Him. We might be afraid of rejection or persecution, but we can be bold witnesses to God’s grace because God provides us with everything we need.
He calls us to be courageous, to shine His light, to hold up our signs so that strangers will see Him in our lives. He provides the opportunities and the gifts, and He has given us the faith and hope to know that even if we are rejected and persecuted that we can rely on His promises because He is faithful. We can’t sit with the knowledge of God’s goodness and expect to make connections with people God desires for Himself. We need to grasp those opportunities so that His grace will grow in us or we are like the blind man who does not really see what is right in front of him. I thought I knew Vivian so well that I didn’t have to do anything special to recognize her. Do we think we know God so well that we don’t have to do anything to recognize His hand in our lives? It won’t make Him love us more if we make the effort to know Him better, but it will help us to know Him better and live more productively in His grace.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.