My Dear Betsy

I love the occasional hidden surprise found tucked in the pages of a library book, and I don't mean the literary kind where you think, "Well, I did not see that coming." I mean the tangible, hold-it-in-your-hands kind. I have found money ($20 once!), bookmarks, personal notes, and other things of the like.

But perhaps the one I found sometime last year was the most timely and the most meaningful of the bunch. I don't remember book in which I found it, or even when precisely. I just know it tumbled out as I paged through the book. (I unashamedly admit that I will often read the last pages of fiction books to see how the ending goes before I start.) The cover was a glowing yellow sunset with a walking bridge over a small creek. The words, "Hope in Him," were scrawled across the top in cursive. 

The words and the image had already roped me in, but the true treasure was what I found on the inside, a needed a reminder in the turmoil, as if the card had been written for me personally and not the stranger it was originally sent to and had accidentally left it behind. The top half of the card included a Bible verse from Hebrews 10:35 written in a femininely-penned cursive in blue ink: "Don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God, and receive what is promised."

Beneath that, on the bottom half, was one part personal note, one part printed text of the greeting card. 

"My dear Betsy" was written in the same cursive blue ink of the Bible verse, then switched over to the formal printed portion, which said, "When things go wrong and all seems lost, hold fast to the promises in God's word. God is faithful."

But what I really loved were the personal additions to the formal print, where the sender underlined all seems lost and added to God is faithful to you, always. ♡ Bonnie

I have no idea who Betsy and Bonnie were or are, but Bonnie's words to Betsy were really Bonnie's words to Courtney. 

So, to my dear Betsy's out there who are reading this and are feeling like everything has gone wrong, may you find this unexpected surprise tucked between the emails in your inbox, and may you remember that when all seems lost, God is faithful to you, always. ♡ Courtney