So often, we’re looking for the big, the extravagant, the noticeably noble. We want to be significant, and we perceive significance as something evident to the masses. Yet what if greatness has a humbler definition?
Photo Credit: Snowflake | Snowflake macro shot, february 2011. B… | Flickr
Today is the day of salvation, this moment is the moment for renewal and change. We don’t have to wait another second, another minute…another year. This is the time for new beginnings—a new season, a new day.
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Queue the game show music. You have ten seconds to name as many of your neighbors as you can. Ready, set…go!
How many names did you come up with? And how well do you know the people behind those names? I’ll have to admit, I didn’t do too well beyond my immediate neighbors. Sadly, in our quiet and transient neighborhood, we don’t see each other much beyond the parking lot. It was a surprisingly pleasant gift when our neighbors got locked out of their apartment and had to camp out in our living room for a couple hours.
What’s got me thinking about this? Last year as I was cleaning out my parents’ garage after their recent move their neighbor came by. He asked about my mom and dad, genuinely concerned about their well being and wondering if he could help in any way.
“You see,” he said, “your parents were more than neighbors to us. They always went out of their way for everyone in the neighborhood. They took the time to get to know us. They even helped us when we needed it—doing things like shoveling our walks. This place won’t be the same without them. And we want to help them like they helped us.”
What powerful words. My parents have always demonstrated the art of being a neighbor—my dad, the friendly, humble servant and my mom the gentle, nurturing caregiver. When I was little, they knew everyone within a few block radius, and even welcomed strangers into our home on a regular basis—from a lonely old man named Augie, to an autistic boy named Danny, to foreign exchange students from all over the world—one of whom said of my dad: “If everyone in the world were like him, there would be no war.”
How appropriate my dad’s nickname is Jasper—a precious stone known for representing sacrifice and royalty. It is listed as the first foundation stone in the walls of heaven. How fitting that my mom’s name means “grace.” She’s one of the most gracious people I know.
As I think about all I’m grateful for, one of the biggest things is that I have parents who are an example of what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.” They’ve shown me what the Christian life should be: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And they’ve emulated the words I saw each day on our kitchen wall as I grew up, “Love is the little things you do.”
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
It’s easy to get stressed when things don’t go my way, but maybe my way wasn’t the way the day was supposed to go. When I learn to see interruptions as opportunities, more possibilities unfold than I could have imagined had I remained trapped in the realm of disappointment.
Source: Interrupted
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After taking off work, getting up earlier than usual, and driving over an hour and a half in rush hour traffic to get to our appointment, I wasn’t happy to find out the doctor had cancelled without notice. That Bible verse about taming the tongue came in handy right about then. So instead of calling the doctor to demand he pack up his golf clubs and keep his originally scheduled commitment, I took my kids to the downstairs gym.
While I continued in my attempts to suppress a barrage of choice words about our MIA doctor, my daughter quickly made friends with a precious boy who insisted we stay for wheelchair basketball. The boy was so charming, so joyful despite his circumstances. We couldn’t resist his invitation.
Six hours later, we were on the sidelines, believing we’d be watching the tournament. Instead, the staff rolled out enough wheelchairs that we all could play with the boy and a few of his friends. My daughter flew around on her chair like a pro while I struggled to keep up. In the end, we had the most fun we’d had in awhile and made some new friends in the process.
If not for my easy-going daughter, I might have had a meltdown that day instead of a blast. She’s not concerned with delays, floating through life as though stress were not a dictionary term. She saw the interruption as an opportunity to make friends and have some fun along the way. And I’m glad she did! Because of her worry-free outlook, we got to know that little 7-year old inspiration and to be on his winning team. It was worth the unexpectedly cancelled doctors appointment and the extra six hour wait at the children’s hospital.
I try to keep the memory of that day in mind whenever I encounter what I perceive to be interruptions. It’s easy to get stressed when things don’t go my way, but maybe my way wasn’t the way the day was supposed to go. When I learn to see interruptions as opportunities, more possibilities unfold than I could have imagined had I remained trapped in the realm of disappointment.
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I would think the reality of life’s brevity would move us to nobler endeavors. As for me, it moves me to seek my purpose for being here. It makes me want to leave a worthy legacy, even if unrecognized by the masses.
Source: Life IS Short
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This Life & Beyond 
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