Pass It On

Yesterday I sat with a dear brother who is suffering from the heavy burden of guilt, shame and despair which results from a tremendous personal failure. It is a burden which one can only truly understand by sharing similar experience of such personal failure. I do. And it is for that very reason that I sat with him yesterday. It is for that very reason that I could feel his pain and his deep sense of shame. It is for that very reason that I was there and that I could share with him some of the Wisdom, some of the Grace, some of the Love which has been shared with me. As we talked, the words from a dear, dear lady came back to me, as those same words have come back to me so many times. I often wonder if she really knew the impact her words would have on me throughout the years. Indeed, not only on me, but on so many that I would be privileged to share her words with. This dear lady looked at me in the eyes, with the love of Jesus shining through her, she said to me, “Your life is not defined by this one failure, but by the total of who you are, your service and faithfulness throughout the years.” Those words have been a source of strength and hope to me. And, as I shared them again yesterday, they conveyed that same hope to him, as well as, once again, encouraging me.

Today, as I reflect on that time together, and especially as I reflect on this one statement of encouragement and hope, the realization comes to me of the impact this friend of mine has had on so many lives. For, I am sure, she has been the channel of this Wisdom and this Hope for many others over the years just as she has to me. But, even more than that, to so many whom she has never even met. Her influence has been passed on through me, and I am sure, through those many others who have had the great privilege of knowing her personally.

So, is this only a praise and recognition of the Love and Faithfulness of this dear lady? It is indeed that, but also more. For as I see her faithfulness and her sharing of herself impacting so many down through the years, it is a vivid reminder that I have the same opportunity, the same privilege, the same responsibility to impact the lives of others, and that such actions can and will reverberate down through the years, even ripple out in the present to touch more lives than I could even imagine. I realize more and more each day just how temporal I am. Each time I try to get up out of a chair, or bend over to tie my shoes, or to do so many things that used to be so easy, I am reminded of my “temporariness”. However, I am also beginning to see how my influence, for good or for bad, can live on for years to come, and indeed, can last forever!! I may never come up with such original words of wisdom as my dear friend shared with me, but I can pass those along to others. That is the very least I can do to show my gratitude, for I can never repay her, and I can never repay Him, for the Grace given to one who deserved none.