A Thought For The Week Of May 27

"But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24) Based on almost 20 years as a pastor, and on the many chances I've had to talk with people about their lives, I think that one of the main fears many people have is that they wonder if their lives have actually meant anything. Have their lives been valuable? Have they made a difference? Most people think of the question in very material and concrete terms. They see the mountain of problems in the world around them, and they look at themselves, and they despair of being able to do anything meaningful. And, I suppose, to an extent that's true. I can't eliminate poverty, for example. On Sunday I was in downtown Toronto trying to explain to my 9 year old daughter why homeless people sit on the sidewalk and ask for money, and as I contemplated the numbers that I saw on virtually every street corner we passed, I realized that it's questionable whether I can even make much more than a momentary difference in the life of a single poor person in a material sense. After thinking about it, though, I realize that I can make a difference. I may not be able to solve all the problems of the world, but if I "testify to the good news of God's grace" that can and does make a difference. That's not about evangelism, or handing out tracts, our spouting gospel verses at people. It's about treating the outcast and downtrodden as real people - with respect, dignity and compassion, and sharing with them the news that as I am trying to do so, God does so perfectly.  I'm not good enough at it. Probably none of us are. But it's the effort to do so that truly makes our lives valuable - because my life is really only valuable if it's valuable to others, and if it's valuable to God. Have a great week!