Impact

This morning seemed routine to me. I had a bowl of cereal while watching the weather, and got ready for work. I was leaving the house at my normal time. I turned to close the entry door and allow my hip to stop the storm door from closing as usual; but this time, I had an unusual occurrence ... the lower removable glass panel on the storm door shattered into hundreds (thousands?) of pieces! Who knew that the same old action would one day have a completely different impact?!

.

My body did not get hurt - just three teeny-tiny nicks from slivers of glass. My heart, though, still has a hurt ... a little over two and a half weeks ago, my Papa (Grandpa) passed away. That has definitely been a blow to my soul.

.

Several of the people that came to visit he and Grandma while he was in Hospice said that he was the person that led them to the Lord. Several people at the Home-going Celebration for Papa also told us that if it weren't for he and Grandma, they wouldn't know the Lord. He witnessed to people all the time. He was passionate about people knowing Jesus, or knowing Jesus better if they were already a Believer. I've been told about Papa witnessing to nurses in the middle of the night when he would have a stay in the hospital. He was in the hospital and yet made a choice to talk about his Almighty God! Papa (and Grandma) shared the same "old" good-news of the gospel time and again to people ... sometimes I'm sure there were no "visible" results, and sometimes there would be a completely different impact leading to another child of God returning to His Arms!

.
Papa and Grandma have not just shared the gospel of Jesus, though. They have lived with a goal of emulating Jesus. They did not just accept others, but considered them valuable ... regardless of religion, wealth, ethnicity, or race. They built relationships. They met needs where they were able to serve. They loved on people. They touched lives. They left a beautiful mark on the hearts and souls of others.

.

I know Papa wasn't perfect. I know he and Grandma have not always lived their lives this way. However, I also know that I have watched both my Grandma and Papa live more and more of the life God called them to live each and every day of each and every year of my life. They are able to love people through Jesus because they spend time with Jesus through worship, prayer, and scripture. Papa left, and Grandma is still leaving, an indelible impression on the lives of so many people ... especially me.

.

Wouldn't it be Kingdom-advancing and glorifying to our Gracious, Living God if we would choose to live out His will for our lives and share Him with others?!

.

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts,

known and read by everybody.

You show that you are a letter from Christ,

the result of our ministry, written not with ink

but with the Spirit of the Living God,

not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

II Corinthians 3:2-3