When I was a young girl I had the privilege of attending a Youth Congress in Minneapolis, MN. A missionary told his story of being in the mission field. It impressed me so much that I felt that I wanted to be a missionary also. This spirit never left me.
I wanted to work where I had the opportunity to serve others. God blessed me with many different opportunities, whether working with young people or serving families who needed extra assistance in life. I soon learned that I didn’t need to go to some far-off country to be a missionary. There is a mission field in our back yard. In my own community, I could serve families by providing them food, clothing and life skills.
Four years after my husband passed away I remarried and moved to Silver Spring, MD. I soon found opportunities to serve until I was ready to retire. The sad thing was after retirement I became less involved with a life of service. That was possibly the result of taking life for granted or rationalizing that I had worked hard for several years and it was okay to relax and let others do the work.
Suddenly, we now find ourselves in a world we barely recognize. It’s a world in which we now have social distancing, the wearing of masks and gloves and not being able to do the things we took for granted. Simple things, such as buying groceries, are a challenge. The vulnerable in society have become even more vulnerable. What happens when the threat of the virus is over? Will our lives have changed for the better or will we go back to status quo?
This brought to mind the question, how should the church as an organization address these issues, both internally and in the general society?
I am reading a book titled, “If God Is Good: Why Do We Hurt,” by Randy Alcorn, during my morning devotions. He makes this statement, “Too often during times of prosperity we increase our standard of living instead of increasing our standard of giving.” This gave me reason to pause. What am I doing with my life? Am I making a difference? I do know that I don’t want to be content with the status quo.
There will come a time when our faith is tested far more than it is being tested now. We may no longer be able to preach Jesus as we do now, but we can still serve Him. And one of the ways in which we can serve Him is by serving others. All around us there are people in need. Their needs will not be met by giving lip service or by even praying for them. Real action is required, whether that be a phone call, sharing our financial blessings, providing a listening ear, or doing any other act of kindness. Let’s start now and not wait for another crisis.
I want my legacy to be that I was there for people when they needed me. What will be your legacy to be?