Challenge

Today I attended the funeral of Bert. I first met him for the first time about fourteen years ago when Gill and I moved to our present church. At that time Bert had retired from full time ministry and was helping out preaching and taking occasional services. He was a quiet, pleasant man who had seen service in the army and at one time been in Kenya. However, Bert never talked much about himself so there is a lot about him I didn’t know. Some things I only learned for the first time at the funeral.

I met Bert at a time of crisis. We never talked about it but something about him seemed to help me through. This got me thinking about those people who, for one reason or another, have helped me along on my pilgrimage journey. Some, like Bert, have said little, others have said much, but in each case they have had a profound effect on who I am today.

I’ve no doubt all of us can relate to that experience in some way - there are some people who seem to stand out above the others. This got me thinking – how do people see us? Perhaps there will be many people who we will meet in life who will change simply by meeting with us. Most likely it won’t be a conscious thing on our part. It may be because of what we say, it may be because of what we do, most likely it will be because of what we are. One thing is certain; none of us will leave this world without changing it in some way. I find that quite a challenge.