It only takes a spark

We sang a song in my youth group (think, 1970!) that included these lines,
"It only takes a spark
to get a fire going,
and soon all those around,
can warm up in its glowing.
That's how it is with God's love,
once you've experienced it.
You spread His love to ev'ryone,
you want to pass it on."
(Pass It On, Kurt Kaiser)
It always moved me. Yes, perhaps you had to be there to be touched by what is a rather banal sentiment, but the general thought is still challenging. You want to pass it on! Are you making a difference where you are?

Too many times to count, people have made this comment or one similar to it to me, "I wish I were a Pastor; then I could really do something good for God and other people." Somehow they believe that being an employee of a church and ordination to a holy vocation confers greater abilities to accomplish good. If you think that way, consider this story. John Ortberg recounts it in his book, When the Game is Over, it all Goes Back in the Box.

Johnny is a bagger at a local grocery store. One day he was invited to a training event for the supermarket chain where a speaker described how every interaction with another person is an opportunity to create a memory and to give a blessing. She told the workers to look for those moments. She gave her phone number and invited follow up calls if someone wanted to talk about what she had said.

A month later, Johnny called her. This 19 year old bagger proudly told her he has Down's Syndrome, then he told her that he liked what she said, but that, at first, he didn't think that there was any way for him to do anything special for the customers at the store. But, then he had an idea. He decided that every night after work he would look for a short thought, something that would be positive and help people think about the good things in life. He would type it into his computer, print out sheets with the line on them and cut those sheets into small strips, each bearing his 'thought.' So he did it, fifty pages every day, carefully cut into ribbons of paper bearing a message. He took his little strips to work and carefully put one in the top of a customer's bag when he finished packing it. As the person was leaving, Johnny would look them straight in the eye and say, "I've put a great saying in your bag. I hope it helps you to have a great day. Thanks for coming here."

Soon the store manager noticed that the line for Johnny's checkout was always three times longer than other lines, that people would even stand in that line even when other check outs were open. People were not just getting words from a boy with Down's Syndrome. They were getting hope from a kid who cared! Six months later, the entire store was transformed! The floral department had once discarded flowers with broken stems. Now they took a moment to go into the aisles and find an elderly lady or a little girl and give the flower, bringing much delight to customers. The meat department decided that it would be nice to put a little ribbon on the packages of meat they prepared. Johnny, the bagger, sparked a retail revolution! He did it by doing what he could do right where he was, not for himself, but for others.

You can read that story and cynically dismiss it or you can begin to believe that God has a way for you to serve Him and to make a difference in His Name; right here, and right now. Some part of you will insist that you have to make a grand splash, that you need $thousands to make it happen, or .... well, just know that there will be many 'reasons' to reject the idea of making a change. Some of them come from common human pride that keeps us from risking too much. Some of that reluctance results from the cruelty of those who are jaded, who sneer at the 'do-gooders' who try to make a difference. They are always on the scene trying to make those who work at loving others feel foolish, childish, or small! Their work is effective, too, but negatively as they suck the joy out of life! And, I am convinced that the Enemy of God and good does his best to cause us to keep the love we have experienced to ourselves, because he knows just how little effort it takes to make a huge difference in an office, a church, a neighborhood, and even in a city.

Here's a word from the Word. May the Truth spur you to action today. "From the beginning you were told that we must love each other. Don’t be like Cain, who belonged to the devil and murdered his own brother. Why did he murder him? He did it because his brother was good, and he was evil. My friends, don’t be surprised if the people of this world hate you. . . . Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God." (1 John 3:11-13, 18-19, CEV)
___________________

Father God, all around me there are people in need.
There are sad, lonely, confused, hopeless, deceived, broken people
that I could love in Your Name.
Give me a tender heart that can be touched,
a sensitive spirit that responds to the prompting of Your Spirit,
and a mind that is ready to engage in action to make a difference.

Love me, Lord, not just to make me happy;
but to prepare me to love others in ways that urge them to wholeness,
that allows them to see the hope that Jesus' Gospel brings.
Help me to do what I can do- right here, right now-
to make a Kingdom difference.

In Jesus' holy Name I pray. Amen!