I spent a few minutes this morning following the demands of a chain letter. I liked it so much, I then chained ten of my friends.
The emailed chain letter read something like this:
Hi!
We’re starting a collective, constructive, and hopefully uplifting Bible verse exchange. We hope you will participate. We have picked those we think would be faithful and make it fun. Please send an encouraging Bible verse to the person whose name is in position 1 (even if you don’t know him/her) and it should be a favorite verse that has lifted you when you were experiencing challenging times. Actually, the best one is the one you know in your head and can type right now. Don’t agonize over it–it is one you reach for when you need it; or the one that you always turn to. After you’ve sent the verse to the person in position 1 below and only to that person, copy this letter into a new email and move my name to position 1 and put your name in position 2.
Only my name and your name should show when you send your email. Send to 10 friends BCC (blind copy). If you cannot do this within 5 days, let us know so it will be fair to those participating. It’s fun to see where they come from. Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas and inspiration. The turnaround is fast as there are only 2 names on the list and you only have to do it once. May God bless you as you share God’s Word.
(OK, it read exactly like that–except that I have removed the names to protect the not-so-innocent parties of this chain gang–and I am probably breaking some unwritten chain letter rule by revealing the contents.) But because I knew that if I didn’t immediately respond to the chain (because the email would get buried within my inbox of 28,355 messages, 10,109 of which are unread), I answered:
I can’t resist sharing two Scriptures with you this morning! The first is from Romans 8:28, which reads “And God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” As a lover of God called to His purpose, I claim this as a promise and look for ways that God can make something good out of every circumstance. It makes me look for His hand, even in the “bad” times, and it reminds me that He is in control. I have seen him make my life beautiful, a clear display of His faithfulness, even when I have been touched by tragedy. God is amazing!
The second is Psalm 23, which I find myself quoting to myself when I have trouble sleeping–or trouble maintaining a plank when working out! This is what I mentally rehearse (and, yes, I was raised reading the King James version, although this is not a true rendition of it, just my memory):
The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
The English teacher in me loves the extended metaphor of the Lord as my Shepherd, but my heart simply embraces the promises inherent in these verses we probably all memorize as children. Overall, it impresses on my heart how much He loves me, and it reminds me that I am in His constant care. In short, no worries! (And by my choice of both Scriptures, you can probably tell that worrying is part of my nature. I absolutely need the confidence that it is my Lord, my Savior, my Deliverer, the lover of my soul–and yours!)
Have a great day in Jesus!
Sara Dagen
Doesn’t that just warm your little heart? Imagine being “forced” to share such words that not only encourage another person but fill your own heart in the process…
This is one chain letter I liked (much better than the underwear chain letter, in which we had to reveal our size (!) and mail pairs of underwear to the person on the list).
I’m not chaining you by revealing this scenario (although ten of my friends may feel that way when they check their email this morning; please don’t feel rejected if I didn’t chain you!), but maybe it might encourage you to share the Good News or your favorite Scripture with a friend today–and warm their heart, and yours!
Embrace the day!
All Things Work Together 
It’s been 7 years, and I got this email from my cousin. Now I’m wondering, where did it start?
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