I never dreamed
(from First 50 Words)
I never dreamed that I wouldn't be a congressman by now. Or at least working in Washington for a congressman. I had always been interested in politics. I remember lying in bed as a child and listening to the election returns when Jimmy Carter won the election to be President of the United States. I think I even cried a little, since I didn't want him to win. Through high school and college, and even into my early adult working life, I remember having discussions with other male friends of mine. They were all into watching sports all the time. My argument always made the case that no matter what sports team won a certain contest, their life would not be any different the next day. Politics, on the other hand, were different. One election or one bill passing Congress could have a devastating effect on their quality of life. It was important to monitor what the government was doing and contact your congressmen with your opinion. I wanted to be elected to congress because there I could really impact people's lives.
The first vacation I went on with my wife after we were married, other than our honeymoon, was to visit some relatives of hers that lived in the Washington D. C. area. We had a couple of days to ourselves to explore Washington, and I called up my congressman's office asking for any sort of tour or anything that they could arrange. It was last minute and I wasn't expecting much. Well, to my surprise, they got me access to the floor of the House (which wasn't in session). I got to walk around the floor and even sit in some of the chairs. I was absolutely thrilled. Sounds like a sports fan getting access to a team's locker room when they're not there, right? I was convinced that one day I would be there for real.
Well, over time my priorities have definitely shifted. Instead of feeling compelled to change people's lives through government action I now feel compelled to change people's lives because of the changes Christ has made in me. I don't go door to door and ask people "where will you go if you die tonight" or anything. That is not my style. I use as my personal guide a saying of St. Francis of Assisi - "Spread the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words." I just do things for people. They need help - I provide. Whatever it is. Help you move to a new house? Done. Need your grass mowed? Done. Need a ride somewhere? Done. Need someone to just sit and listen? Done - though it is difficult for me to do that without trying to provide a solution to the problem. I'm working on that. But out of that I hope they see the light of Christ in me, and ask me why I do the things I do. I can then tell them it's God that compels me to do this. If it was up to me, I'd be home on the couch, surfing the web on my laptop.
I started this without even knowing where I would be going. I really thought this was going to be about how I wasn't doing what I always dreamed I'd do, but what I've realized is that I should have started with...
I never dreamed I'd be an evangelist.
I never dreamed that I wouldn't be a congressman by now. Or at least working in Washington for a congressman. I had always been interested in politics. I remember lying in bed as a child and listening to the election returns when Jimmy Carter won the election to be President of the United States. I think I even cried a little, since I didn't want him to win. Through high school and college, and even into my early adult working life, I remember having discussions with other male friends of mine. They were all into watching sports all the time. My argument always made the case that no matter what sports team won a certain contest, their life would not be any different the next day. Politics, on the other hand, were different. One election or one bill passing Congress could have a devastating effect on their quality of life. It was important to monitor what the government was doing and contact your congressmen with your opinion. I wanted to be elected to congress because there I could really impact people's lives.
The first vacation I went on with my wife after we were married, other than our honeymoon, was to visit some relatives of hers that lived in the Washington D. C. area. We had a couple of days to ourselves to explore Washington, and I called up my congressman's office asking for any sort of tour or anything that they could arrange. It was last minute and I wasn't expecting much. Well, to my surprise, they got me access to the floor of the House (which wasn't in session). I got to walk around the floor and even sit in some of the chairs. I was absolutely thrilled. Sounds like a sports fan getting access to a team's locker room when they're not there, right? I was convinced that one day I would be there for real.
Well, over time my priorities have definitely shifted. Instead of feeling compelled to change people's lives through government action I now feel compelled to change people's lives because of the changes Christ has made in me. I don't go door to door and ask people "where will you go if you die tonight" or anything. That is not my style. I use as my personal guide a saying of St. Francis of Assisi - "Spread the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words." I just do things for people. They need help - I provide. Whatever it is. Help you move to a new house? Done. Need your grass mowed? Done. Need a ride somewhere? Done. Need someone to just sit and listen? Done - though it is difficult for me to do that without trying to provide a solution to the problem. I'm working on that. But out of that I hope they see the light of Christ in me, and ask me why I do the things I do. I can then tell them it's God that compels me to do this. If it was up to me, I'd be home on the couch, surfing the web on my laptop.
I started this without even knowing where I would be going. I really thought this was going to be about how I wasn't doing what I always dreamed I'd do, but what I've realized is that I should have started with...
I never dreamed I'd be an evangelist.
posted by learningtowrite | 7:58 AM
1 Comments:
It's always amazing to me how many people never grasp these basic concepts. Christ didn't walk around trying to build the biggest church or get as many people, "saved" as he could. He simply said come unto me, and when they did, He told them to love one another and be nice to people. It's a beautiful thing.
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