you never know...

Last week I was floored by the wonders of technology...and God's provision for our needs.  I received a friend request from a former colleague from across the globe.  He asked if I remembered him.  Of course I did, he was part of our leadership team for a large multi-national HIV prevention effort.  I saw him many years in a row at our annual meeting and a couple of times in the field on one of my many world tours.

I suppose it is human nature to wonder if what we do makes a difference.  I have felt that the time in my old life was cut short, prematurely. I have thought that it just wasn't long enough to have an impact. I needed more time to go deeper in relationships. More time to genuinely share life together - the highs and lows.

Then, unexpectedly, I receive an answer to a question I never asked out loud - was it worth it? Did it make a difference? Did it even matter at all?

It is rare that we get to know the impact of our efforts in Kingdom work...that is unless some kind soul tells us. This week I received that gift. There are lessons this individual learned from my words, and so many more he learned from observation when I didn't know anyone was watching. He told me that he has shared these lessons with many others since then. I had no idea. None. It left me in tears.

Through the wonders of technology, I received a communication from a far-away land that touched my heart and encouraged my soul...and reminded me of something VERY important.

I'm convinced that we can write and live our own scripts more than most people will acknowledge. I also know the price that must be paid. It's a real struggle to do it...It involves living a life of integrity, starting with making and keeping promises, until the whole human personality, the senses, the thinking, the feeling and the intuition are ultimately integrated and harmonized. Stephen Covey (born 1932 ) U.S. author, speaker, consultant, management-expert

Just so we are clear, I have not attained this goal. It is a constant, daily journey. It is a choice and a struggle against internal and external forces that pull in other directions. I share this publicly because I was reminded of the priceless value of a life lived with integrity. There are so many I have learned from, often through observation. I should tell them what the example of their life has meant to me...

What have you learned by watching others?

just Sheri, a work in progress grateful for encouragement