In all of my time leading Abogar International Ministries, or rather following and serving God as He leads Abogar, this story has always been (and is) an encouragement and reminder to me for why we do what we do. Many, like the old wise man, will look at the outputs of our ministry, and think that it really doesn’t matter, because there are so many children with such great need, and we, Abogar, are not able to impact all, or even many for that matter. The young man in this story reminds us, though, of a very critical point. Making a difference, even to just one, really does matter!
In this time of quarantine and lock down, I want to encourage us to take this mindset as well. Whether it is your husband, your wife, your child(ren), your parent(s), your sibling(s) your neighbor(s), or the person(s) renting from you, make a difference. Let us let love define us. Ephesians 5:2 from the Bible (NIV) contains my most favorite phrase, and, in my opinion, the must complete capture and command of God’s desire for humanity here on earth… “Live a life of love.” May this time of constraint and caution be a time defined in our homes by the rule of God’s love and light. May we live lives of love to one another, with God at the very heart and center of all that (or what little we can) do.
Satan is the promoter of selfishness, while God emulates and desires selflessness for us. In this time we may not be able to go out into the world to share the light and love of God to a hurting and lost world, but that does not mean that we are free from God’s command for us to be loving in our homes and places of enclosure. Being in tight quarters can cause for frustration and anger to intensify, and for us to lose our tempers much easier, especially as time seems to drag on. Let us be intentional to strive to be selfless. Let us live lives of love. Let us realize that the way we love, even in our most intimate places, matters… even if it only matters to one, or just a few. We can’t love on, help, or save the multitudes, especially in this time of quarantine, but may we love and help those closest to us. Be God’s love to them. May we be able to truly say to God, “I made a difference to that one.”
