His story is not unlike others I have heard in recent
days. This man talked about being
well-to-do in business and in life. Yet
the economy and personal struggles led things to unravel in ways that look a
bit like the story of Job, maybe not to that extremely.
He had waited for me after a meeting in town that I was
attending. Several people had expressed
interest in what our church and Dream Center are doing to help hurting, hungry
and homeless people. As I finished a
phone call, the man walked up, shook my hand and said thank you for what I had
shared earlier.
Honestly, I was moved by his story of lost relationships
and the pain from them. I could feel the
pain of losing his business and having to move back home after many years of
what the world would call success. Like
I said, his story isn’t different from others I have heard.
Yet there was a peace in what he shared. His new ventures have him barely making ends
meet, but he has found joy in pouring what he has into other people’s
lives. There is still a lot he is
struggling with as far as finances and faith go, but this man’s journey is on
the way up because his outlook is right on.
Then
Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor, for the
Kingdom of God is yours.
God blesses you who are hungry now, for
you will be satisfied. God blesses you
who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh. What blessings await you
when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because
you follow the Son of Man.
It’s not about what you have. Relationships matter more than stuff. It’s not about the position you hold or the
power you have acquired. It is about
making a difference planting yourself where you are while looking for
opportunities each day.
This man might be considered middle aged by some as he
is almost a decade older than me. I was
encouraged big time by what he shared.
Life is not about what you have. Life is really about how you use what you
have and who you honor along the way.
May we have a similar response to life as this man had come to have.
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