My dear friend Joy sent this to me via e-mail recently, and it touched my heart.
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.'
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him...
He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.’
He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!' There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.
I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!’ He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.
He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled....' Thanks,' he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began ...'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends....I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.'
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met.
He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
'Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.'
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.
'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'
There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift.
I have a firm belief in this, that with a small gesture you can make all the difference. I have been told of my actions having this effect, but much more importantly to me, I have had others follow promptings to reach out to me, and through that, have changed my perspective on life and how I feel about myself.
Some of you may have heard this from me before, but it was pivotal to me so I will share it again. Last summer, during a point of confusion and great difficulty in my life, I received a phone call. I was in a bad place, so I probably let the call go to voice mail when it came through, but it came from a friend who, bless her heart, admittedly "didn't know why [she] was calling" and then went on to tell me that she had been thinking about needing to call me for a few days. Please note, we weren't that close at the time. I knew her, I respected her, and I believed she had positive feelings towards me, but the idea that she was receiving and listening to promptings on my behalf, especially where it had to feel so awkward to call....
She went on to let me know that she was there for me and a few other lovely sentiments. But what moved my heart so much was when she spoke, "I want you to know that I love you." The power of those words, spoken with such sincerity, by someone with no obligation to say them, buckled my knees and brought me to tears. I needed so badly at that very moment to hear that someone loved me.
This message remains to this day in my voice mailbox.
We are God's angels and agents. His work cannot go forward without us doing as He asks. And part of what He asks is that we ask whom we should help. Many times it will feel awkward, and we might wonder why, or if what we do might make someone else uncomfortable, but we have to do it. It's for our growth, but at the same time, you never really know what kind of an impact you can make. And we will be responsible for those missed opportunities.
I believe that Christ attained His level of perfection in deep correlation to His constant devoted service to others. We've all heard the saying, "God is Love." There is a reason for that. Every person on this planet has their own personal struggles, failings, and pain. But we are not designed to suffer them alone. And the beauty of reaching out with love is how it beautifies and edifies every person involved. There are no losers in the scenario. Even if you reach out and are rejected, you are free to receive the blessings waiting in store for you, and I firmly believe, that the positive energy you offered to someone else does not go to waste. It plants itself in the other person's heart, whether they know it or not.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here on loving service. But what I guess I feel like I'm trying to say, perhaps for myself more than any of you, is that no offering is too small, particularly if its an offering you know Father wants you to make. As in my example, it wasn't anything as devastating as turning the tides on a suicide. Regardless, I would say that one phone call did in fact change my life. You never know the far-reaching effect you may have. But He does. Each of His children have particular gifts designed to build up and create goodness. We can't see all the time how our gifts might help, or even what our gifts are. But He does, and can, and will, teach us what they are and how to use them.
Thank you for all the ways you reach out to me and offer support. I can't tell you how the most basic of unsolicited encouragement lifts my soul. You each have so much "wonderful" inside of you. Thank you so much for sharing it with me, and with the world around you. This world...it's a more beautiful place because of you.
