While I was on vacation I was engrossed in a wonderful fictional book about a Jewish girl who loses her family and is sold into slavery to a Roman family. The setting is in the time after Jesus' crucifixion and the height of Rome's rein on the region. Hadassah is like no other servant this family has seen before. The entire family is drawn to her because of her joy, peace, and servant's heart. Hadassah serves this family with loyalty and love that comes from prayer and the knowledge that her God loves this family and has sent her there to make a difference. Hadassah often pleads with God to help her be bold in her faith in a world that is so full of greed, immorality, and false gods. Hadassah feels small and helpless in the big world around her and wonders if she will ever make a difference.
I feel small and helpless sometimes when I look out at a world that is lost without the love of God and the salvation of Jesus. I feel as though I have only made a small dent in the world around me. Sometimes I look out at a crowd and wonder how many people truly know God's love and peace. It all seems overwhelming.
Recently I read a few stories about people making a difference. A Sunday school teacher once stopped by a shoe store to get to know the new teenager who had showed up in his class. That little act of love brought Dwight L. Moody to Christ who became one of the most successful evangelists of the 19th Century. He introduced F.B Meyers to Jesus who mentored J.W. Chapman, who mentored Billy Sunday, who mentored Mordecai Ham. Ham was the evangelist preaching the night Billy Graham made a commitment. It all started with a Sunday School teacher doing what God called him to do.
"O God you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1)
People are longing for a relationship with God because God made us that way. When there is an empty feeling, it is because nothing on this earth can really satisfy the void in our heart that is not filled by God.
Rick Warren wrote:
Life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever. One day my heart will stop, but it will not be the end of me. Life is a warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
What can I do to make a difference? First, I must maintain my own relationship with God through prayer and His Word. Then, I can work on being the best light for Christ is my small little corner of the world. I can use my resources to help others in need, and I can use my time to touch lives around me. Who knows, maybe one of the kids at VBS or in Sunday School will become the next Billy Graham. Maybe somebody will read this blog and want to have a deeper relationship with God.
Heavenly Father,
Help me to have the courage to speak and live my faith. The world seems to be out of control, yet I know that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without you knowing it. I want to do whatever you have called me to do on this earth, and do it boldly for you.
Love your child,
Sandy
