"THIS IS MATTE"

Her email account wasn't working so my friend asked me to send the VERY IMPORTANT email to her husband's email account.  He runs a business and a ministry and I assumed he got many emails every day.  So in the subject line I wrote, "This is Marie" so he would know it was coming from me and perhaps... ???? ... take the time to open it?

His wife called me after a day or two of waiting for my email to say her husband had not received it.  

"Really? O.K. I will resend it."

An hour later.  She called, "Did you send the email? He didn't get it."

"Really?  What could be wrong? I will send it again."

I started to think, "What is WRONG with this guy and his email account?  What is his problem?"
 
As I prepared to send the email for the fifth time, I put my glasses on for the first time. 

And I noticed something I hadn't noticed before: In the subject line where I THOUGHT I had written "This is Marie" I saw the words "This is Matte"...

Matte?  Who is Matte?  Not me for sure... 

I'd sent the email from my iPhone and wasn't able to clearly SEE what I had written.  
I knew what I INTENDED to write.  But I didn't write that.  

So... my friend's husband... not interested in knowing anything about MATTE.. had identified my email as spam.. and so that's where it kept going.. in to his Spam box. 

I wrote a new email - with my glasses on - and this time wrote in the subject line "This is Marie"... and the email arrived. 

Once again, I am reminded that when there is a breakdown in communication between me and someone else, it isn't wise to assume the glitch is on their end.

"Let your conversation be gracious as well as sensible."

Colossians 4:6