how to be God for a day!

 

 Greater love has no one than this; that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13,  (NIV).

Have you ever felt as if all that you are doing means nothing to no one? That maybe it's all in vain? 
You can't be everything to the whole world but maybe to one person you are everything, as the saying goes.  Do you ever ponder "what if?" What if....you hadn't met that one person...how would their life be different or better? I have a few precious friends in my life that I met when all seemed lost. Since then they have become stronger, better, more able to meet life head on. And it is true of those who entered my life, I am a much stronger person for having known them.
There are many times when I am sure that you have wondered, "why am I here?" We each seek our own purpose in life and, when it feels as if we haven't found it, we dwell in despair instead.
You are valuable, you have worth! Though we cannot see what the future holds, be assured that you have a very prominent place in it! 

A story is told of a young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often. One night, the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but since the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light for practice. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board, arms extended outward. It was then that he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body was in the shape of a cross. The man felt as if someone was speaking to him. The words of his Christian friend filled his mind. In his heart, he suddenly realized the truth. Instead of diving, he knelt down and finally asked God to come into his life. As the young transformed diver stood to his feet, a maintenance man walked in and turned on the lights. The pool had been drained for repairs.

Now...what if.....what  if this person didn't have the influence of his Christian friend? What if the pool man didn't turn the light on...what if this diver just jumped in without that momentary pause?

See what I mean? I am sure his Christian friend was just doing what felt right to him, namely, being  a friend to another. He may never know just what that friendship entailed.  Yet through an indirect act, he saved the life of another!

I often wonder how many desperate people cross my path each day; people who are one step away from certain destruction; people whose very life direction can be changed by the Light of God in and through my interaction with them.

If you are like me, every day is crammed full of tasks, errands, deadlines, demands and activities. I run headlong through each twenty-four hours from the minute my feet hit the floor until I crawl into bed each night. It is in those quiet moments before sleep that I hear Him ask, “Did you make a difference today? Is someone closer to the Light because you told him or her what I have done in your life? Did you recognize that “intruder” or “interruption” as a divine appointment from me instead of an inconvenience? Does what you did today really matter?”

Jesus would have done things differently. With every breath, He was aware of the hurting and wounded, pursuing the broken people instead of avoiding them. Jesus carefully and deliberately invested every moment of His time on earth. And there has never been a life that made such a difference or mattered so much.

I want my life to really count, don’t you? We are never more like God than when we are reaching out in love to meet a need, comfort a broken heart, encourage a weary soul or challenge the darkness with His Light. On your journey today, look for those desperate ones who need you to be God with "skin on."