I have been reading The Courage to Give, Inspiring Stories of People Who Triumphed Over Tragedy to Make a Difference in the World.
Millard Fuller's, founder of Habitat for Humanity, story is in this book.
He became a millionaire and in the process of working too much was faced with losing his wife. He did not want to lose her and said he thought what they needed to do was give all their money away. "I think we need to give away all our money. We need to give it away and make ourselves available for whatever God wants us to do." And she agreed.
From the book:
A solid home can absolutely transform a child's life, but Habitat's homes transfrom the volunteers, too. How can you not feel the love that comes from dozens of people working side by side for days at a time toward a common, worthwhile goal? Yes, we get sweaty and caked with dirt and paint, and more tired than we thought possible. But we're doing the work the Lord told us to do-we are taking care of His people. What could possibly feel better?
I doubt anyone has felt Habitat's power to transform lives more than I have. I was on the verge of losing everything that truly meant anything to me. I had gone so far down the wrong track that I hadn't even noticed how empty my life had become. But when I turned my attention to helping other people, I healed myself and I healed my relationships with the people I love.
As I read this I thought, I never felt this way going door to door. I never really felt like I was helping anyone, my focus was on making sure I did what was required of me. Becoming a witness did not really help or heal relationships with the people I loved, it drove a wedge between us. I did not transform anyone's life. I did not get energized by what I was doing, actually I was alway burnt out.
He goes on to say how he is the same person he was before Habitat, but his goals have changed.
Now I am focused on building the Kingdom of God on earth. And my little part of that is to build houses for the poor. You can profess to be religious from today until tomorrow, but if you don't back up those beliefs with appropriate action, then they're like cotton candy--they look good, but there's nothing to sink your teeth into. I lived a life of cotton candy for years. I thank God the He opened up my eyes in time for me to make more of a difference in my life than that.
Did you ever really feel like your preaching work was making a difference in the world? Did you ever feel great for the preaching work you did? Did you feel like you were inspired or inspired anyone?
purps