On the Road
One of my favorite news segments is “On the Road with Steve Hartman”. For those familiar with my preaching, that won’t come as much of a surprise. What I love about Steve’s work is his relentless pursuit of ordinary people living ordinary lives that are having extraordinary impact. Like the story of a Michigan dad who wanted his children (and other children) to have a safe outdoor space to gather in the midst of a pandemic — so he built an ice rink in his backyard. Or the story of the 11-year-old New Jersey girl who started sewing gowns for sick children after learning her 10-month-old cousin had cancer. After seeing her cousin (and several other sick children) only have access to hospital gowns as drab and disappointing as their diagnoses, she taught herself to sew. Two years and 170 gowns later, she’s putting smiles on faces that haven’t smiled in a long time. Steve keeps pursuing these kinds of stories and he keeps finding them.
Which gets me wondering…what stories am I pursuing these days? Am I looking for bright, light-filled people shining rays of hope, joy, and love into the world? Or have I become focused on dark, angry people deepening the shadows of pessimism, discontent, and hate? Those are very different kinds of stories.
Which then gets me wondering…what kind of story am I living into these days? Perhaps that’s why I love Steve’s segments so much. When I read or watch them, they inspire me. They remind me of the truth that a ray of light always overcomes darkness — no matter how small the ray, or how great the darkness.
That’s the story that we’re invited into as disciples of Jesus. We believe in the story of a God of love who in the beginning, out of darkness called forth the light. And in unprecedented creativity brought forth a world and everything in it. Including a creature bearing His divine image. Whom He invites into a partnership, caring for and reconciling back to Himself His world and His children.
Sometimes, if I’m honest, that story starts to feel a bit simple, even ordinary. I’ve heard it so many times, I’ve preached it so many times, could it possibly still be true? And then it happens again…an ordinary person living in an ordinary place steps into an ordinary moment…the simple, ordinary story becomes extraordinary, God’s creative word brings forth life again, a faint ray of faith shines into the darkness of doubt.
This issue of By the Way is filled with these rays of light. Simple, ordinary, everyday people helping us see the beautiful story of God at work in the world. Through men and women, young and old, God’s still inviting us to partner with Him, our prayer is that you’ll say yes and find your place to join in alongside us…on the road.
Karl