Life Changing Moments

I’ve had plenty of life changing moments. The birth of my two children, changing ministries, dealing with hurt from people who either knew better or didn’t care what they were doing to me, and unexpected God moments that propelled me into a deeper more meaningful faith.

My first life changing moment was when I was 8. I poured gas onto a charcoal grill and it exploded into flames. This resulted in 3rd degree burns on my legs. It changed me permanently both physically and mentally. Mentally because when I was 9 I beat up a kid who had made fun of my legs. Not my best moment, but “fried chicken legs” was said one to many times and I just didn’t have the restraint to let that happen again.

I could list more, from moving out on my own, to marring Nicole, to moving to Kentucky to pastor my first church, etc… I could easily tell you how each of these moments changed my life, but there hasn’t been a life changing event that has touched me deeper than the death of my father.

In many ways I wish we had been closer. Don’t get me wrong, we loved each other and there were no issues between us. But his passing changed me in ways unexpected. For instance there was a positional shift. One that carried with it a new weight of responsibility and not just to take care of my mom, but one where something shifted to my shoulders. Like a pillar had been taken out that held our family unit up and now my shoulders were the ones taking its place. As a result of all this (and more I can’t put to words yet) it has also totally changed the way I look at life, the way I feel for people when they are going through a tough time, and the way I interact with family members and friends. In many ways life is more precious to me and I’m not speaking of my own, it’s the increased value I place on other people and the air they breathe.

But, it doesn’t stop there – time has become more valuable. It is the commodity you think you have a lot of but in reality have very little of. You are rich in it and losing it at the same time. The more you lose the more valuable it becomes. Speaking of time it’s almost 8pm, so we are going to wrap this up…

There is coming a day when no one will remember my dad. In fact when you and I pass on we will be remembered for just a short while and then forgotten. This means that most of what we have done in this world will pass on with us out of the memory of even those that are closest to us. This makes this moment you are in right now more important than your past or your future. It is only in this moment that you can make a difference. This moment is the moment set before you so you can have a positive impact on someone’s life. That impact might bled into tomorrow or if you are lucky a few years into the future, but it will not last beyond that. All we really have is now. So, the most important thing you can do is live this moment to its fullest. You do that by helping people, caring for people, doing good and shining for God as you live and move within His being. If you can help anyone have a good day, you have done a great thing, a valuable thing, even if it is forgotten after you have passed over or sadly, if it is forgotten moments after you have accomplished it. Regardless, our goal should always be this…

Be someone’s life changing moment – today.

It is now 8:19pm – Grace and Peace.