My friend and I were engaged in a deep conversation about having the power to do, in life, what we so desperately want to do. He trusted me with an intimate letter he had written to himself, told of his genuine intentions and confessed his failure.

With the confidence that comes from knowing, at that very moment, that you are engaged with the Holy Spirit, I told my friend, “You will not be able to do this without Jesus.” His eyes teared up as he recognized this truth and welcomed it. I said,”Write on the bottom of your letter, “I need your help, I can’t do this without you, Jesus”.

He picked up his pen to write. It was a sacred moment for us. I walked away, thanking God in my heart.And then I heard these penetrating words, “How do you spell Jesus?’

How do you spell Jesus? I was not expecting to be asked that question. I answered by giving him the five letters in the correct order, but the question took me deeper. i later looked up the meaning of “spell” and found there were two definitions in which spell is a verb.

1.) Write or name the letters that form (a word) in correct sequence.

“Dolly spelled her name.”

2.) To be a sign or characteristic of.

“She had the chic, efficient look that spells Milan.”

Definition from Oxford Languages

As I processed this compelling question, I realized tht even while the first definition was unexpected, it was the second that had gripped my heart.

It led me to ask, how do I spell Jesus as I go about my daily life. Am i designed in such a way that people are able to watch me and see Jesus?

Then, what if we were to ask how we spell Jesus as a body of believers known as the church? Are we designed in such a way that our community can look at how we live or treat each other and recognize Jesus?

Will we let these questions lead us to reflection and maybe to repentance? If the letters of J-E-S-U-S are not in the right order, not much is communicated.

To spell Jesus through our actions sounds like a high call, but it is not without precedent. Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter andJohn, and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

How will we spell Jesus today?

Optional Questions:

1.) What am I facing today that calls me to say, “Jesus I can’t do this without your?”

2.) Am I cognizant of being watched, both by people on earth and the hosts of heaven?

(Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…Hebrews12:1

3.) Are we cognizant that “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made know to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places?” Ephesians 3:10

4.) What opportunities are available to us specifically, in this season of national turmoil

and unrest?