When I was little my Grampa used to have this small squeeze-open coin carrier. My sisters and I loved that coin carrier because we knew inside it each time Grampa came to visit or we visited him, there would be quarters in there just for us. The excitement around those quarters was immense. We lived not that far from the drugstore that had a penny candy counter (I know, I date myself!) and one could buy a lot of candy with 25 cents!
We never gave a thought to the time and effort my Grampa put into making sure he had four quarters every time he saw us. It seems like not that big a deal – but to the four of us it was priceless. It’s not the amount of money involved really, it’s the fact that Grampa took time to think about us even when we were far apart. When he passed away, my Gramma showed us his little stack of quarters in his drawer so he’d never run out on us. It was a gift of love far richer than the quarter in our hands.
Every day we have a God who, with even more thought, gifts us. Gifts us with days to live, time to spend, talents to use…God gifts us with resources and the ability to earn a living. We’re gifted with friends to walk the way with us, older ones to take care of, little ones to make us laugh. Our lives are rich with blessing.
And the question we must ask ourselves is this: What am I doing with what I’ve been given?
Over the next few weeks at FAITH we are going to talk about using all we’ve been given to bring God’s Kingdom alive even more today in our world today. It’s a matter of asking, “What do you want your life to stand for? How do you want to be remembered?” My Grampa will always be remembered as someone who went out of his way for those he loved. What’s the legacy you want to leave?
The very foundation of who we are rests on these questions – and our actions around them. Too often we think of what we have as “mine”…when really it’s all gifts from God, who asks us to use what we’ve been given to further the Kingdom. Whether it’s a quarter, a quarter million, or a quarter of your time – it matters what we do with it all. Not for who can give the most – but rather whose heart is changed the most by giving what they do.
Come join us as we discover the Foundations of our lives: the foundation we stand on which is Jesus and how he calls us to see and use what we’ve been given and the foundation of our lives – that lasting legacy – what we want to be remembered for – and how to get there! It’s going to be an exciting time! And maybe, just maybe, Grampa’s quarters will multiply in their impact on me…and you! – Jane Jebsen, Missional Pastor
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