Impact we make on others

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless-cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s Bright Presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything-encores to the end of time.” 1 Peter 4:7-11 The Message

As I reflect on my brother-in-laws life I am reminded of how much our choices matter.

Rod loved my sister and he was a good father to their 3 girls. He loved his girls and his son-in-law and he took time for them. As a family they enjoyed spending time on their boat, tubing and skiing. They enjoyed camping, in a tent no less, not my favorite type of camping. Rod and Julie had their girls on the ski slopes by age 2, so they enjoyed many years of skiing. They enjoyed golfing as a family. Rod was busy as a teacher and a golf coach, but he always took the time to attend the things his girls were involved in. First ballet and later lots of soccer games. For you men reading this blog, you are very important to your children. Take time for them, do things with them, create memories. They do not care about why you are working late; they just want to spend time with their dad! Enjoy the families that God has given you to care for. Pray for your families, be the spiritual leader in your home. Be a committed Christ follower so that you model what a man of God looks like. Teach your children to know and love God.

It became very clear to our families at Rod’s visitation, that Rod had impacted a lot of people’s lives. Current and former students of Rod told my sister about the impact Rod had had on them. Coaches from other schools came to the visitation and told Julie the impact Rod had made on them and how Rod had reached out to students from these schools at golf meets. We were overwhelmed with the number of people that came for the visitations as well as for the funeral. Rod enjoyed life and he grasped the importance of investing in people. While his ways of encouraging students and fellow teachers were a little unusual, people mattered to him. Rod was known for his wacky or goofy golf pants. The students and staff of South Christian honored him the day of his funeral by having a crazy pants day. Julie, their 3 girls and their son-in-law went to school that Friday morning and were deeply blessed by seeing these students honor Rod.

This makes me wonder– what kind of an impact am I making on those I meet?

Am I gracious and accepting? Am I kind or irritated when it takes too long in the checkout lane at the grocery store? How would my husband or children describe me? Kind and loving or grumpy and short tempered? When I am at work do I gossip, grumble and complain or are my words kind and encouraging? Do I take the time to invest in people or am I too distracted and busy to pay attention to what others are saying?

Life is short and we need wisdom from God to live our lives correctly.

He has given us an instruction manual, His Word. We need to acknowledge that God is Sovereign, that He is in control and that we are not in control. We need to choose to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and willingly walk where He leads and guides us. We need to trust and obey God. The choices we make are very important. With each choice we are either building God’s kingdom or we are building Satan’s. I do not remember where I read that past statement, but that statement is huge. Whose kingdom do we want to build?

God has blessed us all with many things and everything we have belongs to God. We need to hold to things loosely and to love people as if our lives depended on it. We need to be willing to invest in people. To pray for others, to encourage others, to love and care for others.

There is a song on the radio that speaks to me every time I hear it. The song is, Let Them See You, sung by the JJ Weeks Band. The chorus goes, “Let them see You in me, Let them hear You when I speak, Let them feel You when I sing, Let them see You, Just let them see You in me.”

This is the desire of my heart.

I pray that His Bright Presence will shine through all the broken places in me and draw others to Christ. How I long that my life will make an impact on those I meet each day. Lord, I pray that others will see You in me and in all of your children. May we spread the fragrance of Jesus to everyone we meet each and every day.