Familiar But Better

I spend a good part of my workday during the school year reading and writing emails. After a while, you start to notice the same phrases popping up over and over again.

Earlier this week, I saw a meme about workplace email lingo, and it got me thinking about some of the phrases we routinely see. The more I thought about them, the more I realized that, if we look closely, even something as ordinary as an email can point us back to our faith.

"Per my last email..."
It's a polite way of saying, "I've already shared this with you." It made me smile because God has been sharing the same message with us from the beginning: I love you. I am with you. Trust Me. Love one another. The problem isn't that God stops speaking. It's that I sometimes stop listening or I only hear part of the message.

In Deuteronomy 31:8, Moses reminds the Israelites, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." 

God's promise has always been there. We just need to remember it and listen.

"To reiterate..."
We use this phrase when something is important enough to repeat. God does this throughout Scripture. He reiterates His promises over and over because He knows how easily I can become distracted by worry, fear, or the busyness of life.

In Philippians 4:4, Saint Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Paul knew some truths are worth repeating.

"Moving forward..."
I use this phrase often at work. It acknowledges what happened but shifts the focus to what comes next. Isn't that exactly what God's grace does? God doesn't pretend our past didn't happen, but He also doesn't ask us to stay there. He forgives, restores, and invites us to move forward with hope.

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal..."

God invites us to learn from yesterday while trusting Him with tomorrow.

"I've copied..."
At work, this means someone else has been included in the conversation. It reminded me that I don't have to go through life by myself. God is always present, and He has placed people in my life to encourage me, pray for me, and remind me of His love. Sometimes I'm the one who needs that encouragement, and sometimes I'm the one who is called to be there for someone else.

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, we are reminded, "Two are better than one... If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."

God created us for connection and community.

It's funny how God can use something as ordinary as an email to grab my attention. Maybe the next time one of these familiar phrases appears in my inbox, I'll pause and remember the greater message God has been patiently repeating all along:

He is with me.
His grace is enough.
And He never asks me to walk this journey alone.

Have a blessed Faith Friday!