11 march 2010

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7

My grandfather, better known to me and my family as Papa, died of cancer when I was just 7 years old. There isn’t a lot that I remember about him and much of what I remember is when he was already very sick. But what I do remember about him and what is the most important thing that I could ever carry with me is his faith. In a lot of ways it is not so much a memory but a part of him that still lives and will never die. I see it in the lives of my family – my grandmother (Mama), my parents, my aunts and uncles, my siblings. It lives in me. I often read this reminder from Paul and think about Papa. I recall Mama sharing with me in a card once that it was one of his favorite verses – it has become one of mine. While he was sick and even up until his death Papa lived his faith in word and in deed with a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline because of his confidence in Jesus Christ.

Today I have been challenged to think about my life. In some ways I hesitate to refer to it as being mine because I have been reminded especially today that my every breath comes from God. However, he gives us this opportunity to live and breathe. Life is an opportunity and a privilege and therefore we must use it for good, for something greater and bigger than ourselves. Do I live out my faith in word and in deed? I can do everything possible to be a great person and youth leader, to be there for my students and friends, to joke around with them. But if I am not openly sharing my faith with them then what is the point? I need to be expressing faith, hope, and love because nothing else matters. More importantly, I need to be expressing Christ’s love to each of them as much as possible. As important as it is to me that they know I love them, it is of far greater importance that each of them knows they are loved by God.