MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Have you ever met someone whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to impact those he met on a daily basis?
At the beginning I made mention of the fact that the title ‘on the way to the party’ was inspired by my late husband who enjoyed celebrating life; big occasions, small events and pretty much everything in between. He would celebrate at the end of every day, thanking God for things that I’m sure most of us would overlook.
It wasn’t always like that. There was a time when he carried the weight of desperately needing approval from certain people in his life. The burden of low self esteem kept him down and dragging his tail feathers much too often. Then he decided to lay it all down on Jesus, the one who had already carried all that ‘stuff’ for him. As he spent time with his Lord a lot of those weaknesses melted away like snow on a warm April day!
Before my very eyes he began to grow into the man of faith he always admired in someone else. I do not downplay the need for professional help in some cases, but for him it was a matter of rooting himself in the word of God, growing in faith and being a Godly influence in his family, church and community. Most everyone he met loved him and if they didn’t he was okay with that. Sometimes I thought he was getting a little too okay with it!
Because he was a prime example of one who exhibits the fruit of the spirit of Christ (Galatians 5:22, 23), love, joy, peace, patience everyone he met was impacted; he made a difference that counted.
We didn’t know that his life would be cut short by cancer, but as one who shared his life I saw the very real change that can happen when a person lets go of the old things that have gone before and embraces, or as the apostle Paul puts it, ‘press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:14 NIV).
I saw how he was able in his lifetime to build up the discouraged, to speak hope and life into the most dismal of situations. He was always ready to leave a word of encouragement and a prayer with anyone facing a difficult time.
When it was his time to go we could say, ‘He made a difference’. He, like the great apostle Paul, could say ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV).
Eight years ago we had these words engraved on his headstone, ‘He made a difference...’ The prayers he prayed and the influence he left have become his legacy and he is still making a difference.
My prayer for myself and you, the reader, is that all who knew us in life will be able to say that when we are no longer here.
For now, I continue on my way and I’ll see you at the party!
At the beginning I made mention of the fact that the title ‘on the way to the party’ was inspired by my late husband who enjoyed celebrating life; big occasions, small events and pretty much everything in between. He would celebrate at the end of every day, thanking God for things that I’m sure most of us would overlook.
It wasn’t always like that. There was a time when he carried the weight of desperately needing approval from certain people in his life. The burden of low self esteem kept him down and dragging his tail feathers much too often. Then he decided to lay it all down on Jesus, the one who had already carried all that ‘stuff’ for him. As he spent time with his Lord a lot of those weaknesses melted away like snow on a warm April day!
Before my very eyes he began to grow into the man of faith he always admired in someone else. I do not downplay the need for professional help in some cases, but for him it was a matter of rooting himself in the word of God, growing in faith and being a Godly influence in his family, church and community. Most everyone he met loved him and if they didn’t he was okay with that. Sometimes I thought he was getting a little too okay with it!
Because he was a prime example of one who exhibits the fruit of the spirit of Christ (Galatians 5:22, 23), love, joy, peace, patience everyone he met was impacted; he made a difference that counted.
We didn’t know that his life would be cut short by cancer, but as one who shared his life I saw the very real change that can happen when a person lets go of the old things that have gone before and embraces, or as the apostle Paul puts it, ‘press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:14 NIV).
I saw how he was able in his lifetime to build up the discouraged, to speak hope and life into the most dismal of situations. He was always ready to leave a word of encouragement and a prayer with anyone facing a difficult time.
When it was his time to go we could say, ‘He made a difference’. He, like the great apostle Paul, could say ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV).
Eight years ago we had these words engraved on his headstone, ‘He made a difference...’ The prayers he prayed and the influence he left have become his legacy and he is still making a difference.
My prayer for myself and you, the reader, is that all who knew us in life will be able to say that when we are no longer here.
For now, I continue on my way and I’ll see you at the party!
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