Making a Difference

I want to do something of great importance.  Epic.  I'd like to make a difference in this world - leave it a better place than when I arrived.  Something big, something memorable, something that people will remember...and talk about years after I'm gone.  Like Mother Teresa, or the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or W.E.B. DuBois, or Anne Lamott.

Recently, I watched "Argo," a movie about the Iranian hostage crisis from the late 70s - early 80s.  Hopefully I won't give anything away in case you haven't seen the movie yet, but it's an amazing story.  Of courage, and creativeness, and hope, and fear, and the height of humanity's best, and the depths of our disconnection.  And it's a story about making a difference in the world.  I found myself wrapped up in this story, complete with my heart pounding, shoulders tense, and adrenalin running through me.  When the end credits rolled, it was hard to come back to today.  But I did.

I haven't done anything of great importance.  Epic.  But I'd like to think that I've made a difference in this world, and that I've made it a better place.  Simply because I'm here.  Because God created me and placed me in a particular time and place.  Sure, I've made some mistakes and some bad choices in my life.  But that doesn't take away from the big picture of life.

Life is full of variety.  Some of us will do epic things - things that will be remembered for a long time.  Some of us will make epic mistakes - mistakes that become the learning curves and slang of tomorrow.  But all of us are here on purpose.  God wants us here.  And that is pretty epic.  I don't need to seek notoriety, because I'm already known.  By the One who matters most.

And the One who matters most knows my gifts and talents, and simply asks me to participate.  To appreciate where I am, and do what I can do to make the world a better place.  And the One who matters most doesn't want me to define epic by human standards.  Because the One who matters most sees epic in the transformation of lives - when we put aside fear, hatred, segregation, and judgment.  When we stop disconnecting from ourselves, each other, and God.  When we realize that epic is found all throughout our daily lives - sunrises, breath, coffee, rain, friends, tears, seasons, potato chips.

Epic is all around us.  And God wants us to add to epic by loving ourselves, our neighbors, and God.  God wants us to add to epic by participating in daily life.  Add to epic by paying attention.  By living fully into the image after which we have been created.  By being who we are.  By being where we are.  Is this making a difference in an epic fashion?  Maybe not the way we define it.  But it's epic to the One who breathed creativity and greatness into our time and space.  We are epic creations, simply because...

How to Serve

So it's one of my favorite times of year.  It's early September, and autumn is just around the corner.  Here in Asheville, we're getting a taste of it this week.  The air is cool in the mornings, and the shadows are crisp and dark during the day, letting us know that the humidity is low.  And, the final tennis Grand Slam of the year is now taking place - The U.S. Open.  I sooooo enjoy watching the great plays, and even the frustrating ones - when my favorites aren't doing so well.  I guess I dream a little bit about being a player on the courts in Flushing Meadows serving at a blistering 22 miles per hour to my unsuspecting opponents.  Ahhhhhh...what a great life!

But, alas, 22 miles per hour won't get the job done at Flushing Meadows.  Because that's not how one serves in the world of tennis.  In order to serve effectively, one must imitate a master-server.  And that got me thinking about how we as Christ-followers are to serve in this world.  Are we imitating our master-server?  Jesus truly showed us the way by becoming one of us, by humbling himself, by being concerned about our interests, by spending time with us, and not seeking recognition or fame.

And although service is something we do, it really is about a way of life.  We're not to view serving as something we do for or to people, but rather, we serve with people.  We serve with those in need, because all of us are in need of something.  None of us are better or worse than anyone else - even though we do our best to label people.  Humility, like Jesus.  We look out for what's good for everyone, not just our self-interests.  That also means we serve without expecting to get anything in return - like a thank you.  Because, if we expect to get a thank you for something "good" we did, that means we really are more concerned about ourselves than others.  It means that we're not quite willing to meet people where they are, but expect them to meet us on our level.  That's not what Jesus did.  He meets us where we are, but helps us get to where he is.  And he does this by serving us.  Wow!

And serving others comes in countless packages.  We church folk sometimes get tunnel-vision, and view serving others as a project, or an outreach, or a free meal.  Although these can be heartfelt areas of service, let's not limit what God wishes for this world.  What if serving others meant we take a Thursday afternoon to help create a community gathering space? (Thanks for this idea, Carly!)  Serving others comes from listening to each others' hopes, dreams, and concerns.  Serving others is something we do together, because we all need a helping hand every now and then.

So let's be creative in the ways we serve one another.  Because God is creative and cares about the diversity within Creation.  Let's imitate our master-server.