I'm currently at work. taking a wee break. thinking about lots. future. past. now.
I'm involved with helping young people...incredible girls... almost on a daily basis. Just hang out with them, chat, laugh, hopefully change their perspective on life, hopefully change their life, hopefully keep them out of trouble...even more...hopefully help them to know about the Love of Jesus for them.
Tonight was different to any other night. I'm still sort of in awe of what did happen. Sure, there was the usual stuff I hear every day/week (trouble at home, school, boys, etc)...but tonight, i'm pretty sure I was in 2 places at the same time: my past, and present.
One of the incredible young girls asked to speak with me after we got done chatting all together. So we went to the kitchen away from everyone else. I'd expected her to tell me something completely opposite to what she did. But instead she told me how much she looked up to me. She saw so many qualities in me that she wanted to have one day. She told me that It seemed I was at peace with things like being single..etc...just at peace with life. She then said to me, "I wanna be strong like you...and I want people to look at me and say the things they do about you."
BIG SELAH MOMENT!!!
First. I didn't know what to say...because to be completely honest, I don't see those things about myself...we never usually do :) We tend to look at all the flaws instead of our strengths.
I was nothing short of speechless for a few moments. Not because I hadn't been encouraged before, but because in that moment, I saw myself HER AGE saying the same thing to someone that I'd admired years before...thinking...'am I ever going to have anyone say those things about me one day?'
The reason I say all that is to say this one thing: sometimes its hard to see the progress we are making in life; especially since we are living it here and now. And it may seem like you are making NO progress at all...but later on you will be sitting down (or standing) with someone who will be telling you how you've impacted their life for good. And whether or not you want to believe that you have - you have. And you will.
I guess the slightly scary reality in all of this is that we will all impact a life/lives...but whether its for good or bad...is completely up to us.
When you realize you actually do have influence...its humbling - to say the least. BUT when you realize the 'weight' of that truth...its even more humbling. I want to believe in as many people as humanly possible. I want to enable a young person; through my belief in them, to get to place in their life where they are also influencing others for good. To a place where one day they are sitting down with someone they mentor hearing them say the very things this girl said to me.
THAT is leaving a legacy that carries on long after you have left this earth.
So maybe I rambled...just maybe...but then again, its all a little hazey at 1am.
...Well make that 2am now.
Love
p.s. photo is of thousands of young people who in one night were all impacted by ONE man's story. He believes in every single one of those young people. They knew it. Everyone knew it. And we were changed...for good.
