The Letter in Margaret Chen's Mailbox

Every Tuesday for eleven years, a letter arrived at Margaret Chen's apartment in Seattle — handwritten on cream stationery, postmarked from Topeka, Kansas. Her college mentor, Dr. Ruth Adeyemi, never missed a week. Not when Ruth was diagnosed with lupus. Not during the ice storm of 2019 that shut down half the city. Not even when Margaret stopped writing back for nearly two years during her divorce.

When Margaret finally called to apologize for her silence, Ruth laughed softly. "Child, I didn't write because you earned it. I wrote because I said I would. And because I know who you're becoming, even when you've forgotten."

Inside those envelopes, Ruth had tucked everything Margaret needed for each season — encouragement when she started her nonprofit, a sharp word of correction when she nearly quit, book recommendations that arrived just as she was wrestling with those exact questions. Ruth seemed to know what Margaret required before Margaret did.

This is the heartbeat of what Paul tells the Corinthians. The God who called you into fellowship with His Son has already furnished you with every gift you need. He is not watching from a distance, hoping you figure it out. He is the faithful One — El Shaddai, God Almighty — who enriches you in all speech and knowledge, who strengthens you to the end, and whose commitment to you was never contingent on your performance. You are held by a promise that arrives every single morning, whether you remembered to look for it or not.