Earlier this week, I was talking with Captain Pete, one of the regular tour guides who brings over groups from the mainland and helps them to experience this island of ours. He’s a fantastic guide, but more importantly, he has a heart for the malnourished in Africa, and is about to head over for the 19th time to provide food for thousands of people every day for the three weeks that he is there.
Last week, we gathered as a community and heard stories about the impact that Franklin Wiley had on the people of this island over his eight decades of life. Frank worked hard to provide for his family, and made sure to bring others along with him on some of his efforts. He passed on an understanding of work ethic and effort, even as it pertained to hunting and fishing, and his impact will be felt for decades to come.
Two very different men, working in very different arenas, making an impact that will be felt long after they are gone. Their lives have/had significance. So I ask, what does significance look like to you? Well, if we look to the lives of these men for clues, we see that significance comes when we allow our lives to touch other lives – hopefully for the better. This is not to say that a solitary life or a life lived solely for selfish pursuits might not ultimately be viewed as significant, but man was meant to be in communion with God and with others, so significance comes when we share our blessings with others.
Of course, the greatest blessing that we are called to share with others is our relationship with Jesus. To know God personally and intimately is the greatest blessing possible, and to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission by going out to all the world to make disciples is to live the most significant life possible. Jesus declared that he came so that we might have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). Any other blessings that are shared will provide temporary benefit, but to share the Gospel and help make disciples will provide eternal benefit.
Perhaps you have never considered whether you are living a life of significance, or even could live such a life. For as long as you have breath in your lungs, it is not too late to start. First, make sure that you are standing on firm footing yourself in terms of your relationship with the Lord. Then, start sharing your blessings with others, starting with those closest to you. Captain Pete and Franklin shared their blessings with others, even with those that they had only just met, and their impact will not soon be forgotten. Even if you only have time to make an impact in the life of one person, that person might then go out and change the lives of many, because of the difference you made in their life.
So, are you living a life of significance?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron