Writing Scripture Letters- The Red Headed Hostess

The other day I was reading in Isaiah chapter 4 and I was completely impacted by verse 5  “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.”

It was one of those moments where I couldn’t turn my mind off after reading it – I just started getting so many ideas and thoughts.  In the chapter previous, Isaiah is highlighting the pride and vanity among Israel.  He ends that chapter by focusing on the daughters of Zion and how they are trying to look like the neighboring nations with their jewels and adornments – the very nations that will put them into bondage and kill their men in battle.  These daughters are putting their precious energy, time and focus onto how they look rather than who they are – and this won’t sustain them.  Isaiah paints a picture that shows that those things they value so much will go away, and distress and mourning will replace them.

Then, the very next chapter Isaiah talks about these dwelling places of Zion, and how they will be a defense, a refuge and shield from what is occurring in the world.  “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.”  This cloud is a protection and a guard.  It both protects Zion from the world, while also shielding from the world the glory of the Lord within these dwelling places.

“Upon every dwelling place” is the phrase that just ran through my head over and over.  Is that not our homes?  Where we teach, counsel and raise our children?  I want that cloud over my home!  I want to make certain that it is there and we are within its defense.

So I started thinking about all of the things we must do to make our homes this defense.  Because, I don’t think it will just happen – I think we will have to work for it and make sure it is there.  We will need go through our homes and consider what things may be weakening our defenses, and what things need to be done to strengthen it.

One thing I know, is that in order to have this defense, the power of the scriptures must be plugged into my home.  So I started thinking of new ways to get this into the hearts of my children – something that can have impact and relevance to them.

I had seen this idea going around on Pinterest.  “Open when” letters where you may write your child a letter to open during certain points in their lives.  So, I thought to do a twist on that idea, and write them letters to open after they have read a specific scripture, or chapter.

So I started in Matthew 5, and I thought that I could write my daughter a letter about that chapter and my thoughts and testimony about what it is teaching.  So one day (she is only 2 now), she can have this large collection of letters from me and as she studies her scriptures she can read these letters.

Can you guess what happened?  I started in Matthew 5, and got through 3 verses.  When I was writing to my daughter, I found I had a LOT to say!  And I can’t even express to you how much MORE special this was than I had anticipated.  As I was writing, there was nothing more that I wanted to do, but to write this to her.  It was one of the most special scripture study moments I have ever had.  So, as it turns out, there will be several letters to go with Matthew 5!

As I was writing these letters, here are some thoughts I had about the benefits of this:

– It is a great way for me to study my scriptures.  I am motivated to do things for my family, and this is a great way to prioritize my scripture study.

– These can help my daughter to really study the scriptures.  After reading my letters, and reading the chapter for herself, her connection to this chapter can be so much stronger.

– I am creating possibly the most valuable thing I could possible give to her, and it may be passed through generations.

– It has immediate and lasting results.  Since I am studying, I and my family are blessed, and since it is on paper – it can be read and reread countless times.

– It can strengthen the relationship between parent and child

I think this could not only be great for parents, but also grandparents and other relatives.  Can you imagine your children getting letters in the mail from grandma or grandpa that says, “open after you read Luke 2”?

Here are some ideas on how you could adapt this idea of letters for your home:

–  Keep the letters in a box and gift them to your child at a certain point in their life (when they turn 12, 16, go to college, etc.)

– Ask other family members to write letters to include in the collection

– Send to grandchildren through the mail, one chapter at a time

– Use as a summer scripture study program.  Write a few letters a week to your child and ask them to write you back.

If you think you may want some assistance in knowing what to write, and pulling out a lot of doctrines and principles from the scriptures – that is what we designed our Scripture Study Kits for.

In fact, the reason I had initially chosen Matthew 5 is because I had studied that chapter in depth and knew what kind of things I wanted to share with my daughter.

You can read more about these kits HERE.  Or, you can find them HERE.