You Need To Make a Difference!!!

So the world was thrown in mourning yesterday night with the news of the demise of the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Known as the “Madiba” which means father, he died at 95 years, but all over the place there was sadness and gloom. Everyone agrees that we have lost a rare gem. Even though his last major public appearance was in July 2010, we constantly have been receiving updates about his life from the time he fell ill. And many obituaries have been erroneously published about him! Everyone has heard about him one way or another and in death, we all have sweet words to say about him, even people who have never physically met him before. He surely left his mark on earth, and I don’t even know if he had Jesus!

What about you? What would you like to be remembered for? Oh I know that sounds cliché but seriously, what lives are you affecting now? Some of us have raw gifts and are a bundle of talents but we have allowed the ‘cares of this world’ to squash them. You go to work and your manager finds faults in one little thing you did. It earned you a query. Seething with anger, you leave for home and get stuck in 2 hours gruesome traffic! You finally make it home and realise that your hubby isn’t home yet, he is again working late.

 

Then you get into the kitchen and find dishes in the sink, the housemaid slept off without washing them! You look through the children’s homework and they are undone! Not only that, there is a letter from their school asking for payment for one thing or the other – How many of us can identify with what I’m saying? At that point the last thing on your mind is changing the world or affecting your generation…lol. Funny as it may sound, this goes on in our lives almost every day until those God given potentials remain unharnessed!

Question – Must everyone become famous? Must everyone affect their generation? Why can’t I just mind my family and my business – me myself and my dog. Hmmm, let’s see what scriptures say:

Matthew 9:31 - 31 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country(NKJV)
Mark 1:28 - And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee(NKJV)

Both scriptures above talk about Jesus while he was on earth. He was well known for what he did – touching lives.

1st John 4:17 - 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus(NIV)

I know that verse talks about the love of God but surely if we are like him in love, then we are like him in all things? If Jesus’ fame spread, then suffice to say that ours should spread too. Christians need a wake-up call to take their place and do their Father proud. We have unbelievers is high places making news (I’m not referring to Mandela here) and touching lives, what about you?

One of my mentors said – “When you pass on and the world stops to acknowledge it, it means you made a world-class difference” I am set to make that difference in greater measures from now on. I encourage you as well, go on then, just DO IT!. By deby Okoh