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In God's hands, every action can have an impact. In the Guidepost story from April Grube, she relayed that she was on the red eye flight from Los Angeles to Washington, DC when a large man became her seat mate. As he sat down in his seat, April realized that her desires for sleep were not going to be met. She was an experienced flyer with an understanding of all the normal annoyances that go with flying. This list of annoyances included the fact that she had lost one of her favorite books on a flight to South America for a mission trip. As she and the man exchanged names, he asked her for her name again. He then asked her if she had ever been on a flight to South America. When she acknowledged that she had, he relayed the story of how he had discovered her lost book on a flight to South America and the life changes that had taken place as a result of reading the book, including her handwritten notes in the margins. After reading the book cover to cover, he noted the book's owner written on the cover, April Grube.
As Followers of Christ, we are called upon to take action. As we read the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, we notice all the verbs in the verse (Go, Make, Baptizing and Teaching). We have to take action. The other thing to notice is that nowhere does it say that what we are called upon to do has as a prerequisite that it will be comfortable or easy to do. In fact, many times, what we are called upon to do can be life-changing.
Richard Stearns really learned that lesson about a decade ago. Richard was the CEO of the Lenox Corporation, one of the world's largest makers of fine china. He had the fringe benefits of the position - an imposing cherry wood desk, oil paintings and cabinets line with elegant plates and teacups, a private bathroom and a Jaguar for a company car. Richard always thought that he was following God's directions for his life. He had climbed the corporate ladder, with each rung of the journey an affirmation from God. He attended church regularly, tithed, participated in Bible study, supported missions and he felt the fruits of listening to God's plan were all around him.
Then came the calls. First from Bill Bryce, a close friend, and then from Rob Stevenson, a recruiter. Seems they were both trying to get him to see that God was looking for him to leave his position with Lenox with all his worldly fringe benefits and become the president of World Vision, an international humanitarian organization with much less to offer him. Then, he had another friend who offered him the position of CEO of a merged company he was looking to form that would have given him a 10 percent ownership stake worth about $25-$50 million. When Richard told this friend that he was going to have to deal with another offer from a charitable organization without giving the name of the organization, the friend relayed how he admired his considering that job and then relayed his own involvement with an organization called World Vision.
After this, Richard said it was really clear that God was calling him to be the President of World Vision. A job that he had once said would take a combination of "part CEO, part Mother Teresa and part Indiana Jones." He realized that if he truly wanted to follow Jesus, he would have to give himself for the poor and dispossessed. He stated it like Jesus was saying, "Rich, you promised you'd follow me wherever I might lead. Will you follow me to the poor, to the refugee camps and to the garbage dumps where children scavenge for food? Will you follow me there, Rich?" He took the position and now a decade later can hardly believe the agony that he faced in making that decision. It is so counter-cultural though that friends from Lenox still marvel at what they perceive that he and his family "gave up." What culture doesn't understand is that when God says, "Follow me", and we do, we find our deepest purpose and the true adventure begins.
Recognize that God does not always call us just to do such big things. What He does is calls us to something for Him. As we read 1 John 4:11-12, we are called to demonstrate our love for God, but showing our love for others. It is as Henry Blackaby states in his book "Experiencing God", we have to see where God is working and then join Him there. It is not always easy, but it is important for us to first, develop our relationship with God and then pray for direction as to where we go and what we need to do. That means that we have to have a firm foundation of our relationship with Him. Once we have that foundation, then we need to look for opportunities to love and serve others. Those things may not always be readily apparent.
In the story of the Cab Ride, a cab driver picked up an elderly lady who was heading to hospice that night. When she relayed that she wanted to go the scenic route, he reached over and turned off the meter. They drove through the city where she showed him the building that she had once worked as an elevator operator. They drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had him pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. After driving for several hours, he drove her to the convalescent home where two orderlies came out to meet them. When she asked the cab driver how much she owed him, he told her "nothing." When she insisted to pay, he said, "There are other passengers." She responded that "you gave an old woman a little moment of joy. Thank you." What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if he had refused to take the run, or honked once, then driven away?
On quick review, he realized that he could not have done anything more important in his life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware--beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
What we have to understand about being a Follower of Christ is that we have an objective of making disciples for Him. In order to do that, we have to first start with meeting an individual's immediate needs and developing a relationship with them. Then, and only then, are we poised to make an eternal difference. I know of people in our class that are making a difference in the lives of others. We may not know on this side of heaven which seeds we sow will sprout, but we are called to keep on sowing so that some may come to know Him. How are you loving and serving others? What are you doing this day, this week, this month, this lifetime to make that happen?
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