The Cost of Doing Great Things

When they walk into a store most people –whether they are living from paycheck to paycheck or earning a six-figure salary for their particular expertise—look at the price tag before they take an item to the register. Everybody wants to know how much what they are about to purchase is going to cost.

While the price is usually expressed in dollars and cents, you may do the same mental calculus that many other people do as they determine how many minutes or hours or days they have to work to pay for this particular item. There also quite a few folks who consider what they will have to give up or put off purchasing if they decide to take their current selection home.

Of course, it’s not just the things you buy at the store that cost you something. If you want to acquire a skill or improve your performance or master a subject, those efforts require an investment of time and energy. It also means sacrificing other pursuits, diversions or activities.

On the other hand, there are a lot of “things” we enjoy for which it is nearly impossible to calculate the cost: the numerous freedoms we enjoy in this country, the right to express our opinions, and the distinct privilege to cast a ballot. It is fitting that we should set aside some time to consider the cost others have paid so many may claim these rights and such freedoms.

May this time of remembrance serve as more than just a reminder that we owe a debt of gratitude to others. May it challenge you to ask, “What am I doing right now to make the world a better place?” It may be something big that requires lots of time and energy and attracts lots of attention; or it may be something small, like waiting a few seconds to hold the door for the person following you into the office.

As a community of faith we believe God calls every person to join the task of working to make the world a better place. When you spend yourself, your time, your energy, and your resources to bring about something better; God notices. May you feel God’s delight as he notices something you do to make the world a better place today.

Recognizing Greatness in the Shadows

It is hard not to notice. They are the people in the spotlight. Walking down the red carpet. Behind the microphone. Riding around in limos. Holding the MVP trophy or Oscar or Emmy or Tony or Grammy or Moonman.

It’s only natural to think that these are the people who have really accomplished something significant. These are the people that we want to be—or we hope our children will grow up to be.

Depending on how serious we are about becoming like them, we spend hours learning about their habits. What they eat. Where they live. The routine they follow. The clothes they wear. The people they know. We look for anything we can do to improve our chances of earning our place in the spotlight.

With so much attention on the celebrities in the spotlight, we may be missing folks who are making a much more significant contribution. That’s what Jesus wanted his disciples to see the day they were hanging out at the Temple in Jerusalem.

There were lots of rich people coming through wearing long flowing robes. As they walked up to the box to deposit their offering you could see them glance around from side to side to make sure that others were watching them. It was hard to discern exactly how they were able to make such a big deal of putting money into a box; but they were.

The disciples may have been thinking about how they might be able to use all that money to help Jesus in his ministry. They could probably feed a crowd with what just a few of those rich people had dropped in the box. They might even be able to entice a doctor to treat a few of the sick.

If Jesus had not interrupted their reverie, the widow would have passed by unnoticed. She slipped by so unassumingly that she was virtually invisible. The coin she had dropped in the box had made no difference in the running totals they were keeping.

But then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others . . . . They gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44).

As we remember those who have lived faithful lives, and who have  now gone on to glory; may we remember all they did—both great and small—as we give thanks for their contribution to the community of faith.

Dealing with Disappointment

The phones rings.

The number doesn’t look familiar.

“Hello?”

“This is the nurse. The doctor asked me to call you. Your labs came back . . . .”

This is where you really start to listen; but you don’t really hear what is being said because your mind is racing through questions you would have never considered asking. A diagnosis changes schedules, priorities, plans, ambitions. It may shake your confidence, make you question your faith, lead you to examine your relationships, or prompt you to reassess your values.

In the face of such disturbing news some people decide to give up. They settle into the recliner and wait for the end. They may allow those closest to them to tend to their most basic needs; but they would rather sit in silence than accept the care and condolences of their friends and family.

Other folks try to make the best of a bad situation. They listen carefully to suggestions about the best way to manage their condition. They want everything that can to remain the same—hoping they won’t become the center of attention.

Some refuse to resign themselves to accept a diagnosis as a verdict. They are determined to do more than manage the situation. They pursue changes that may reverse their condition, even when others question their resolve. They replace unhealthy habits with new routines which promise greater vitality. 

Sometimes it seems that life changes in a matter of moments—and it does. But the shape of the change depends on what you choose to do in that moment.

In the face of disturbing news, in the midst of crushing circumstances, in the light of disappointing prospects, faith calls the followers of Christ to recognize the savior is near. Even though others may disparage our confidence in him, we must not be dissuaded. Let us throw off whatever prevents us from going to him, acknowledge his power to redeem, and accept the restoration God can give. Then we can follow where he leads.