I wasn’t quite sure what to write about this week. Much has been going on with Awaken, with Journey as a whole, in the Henderson household, and just in life. Something happened this week that has been somewhat surreal to me, and though it involves an individual whom I’ve only seen in person once yet have never actually met, I’ve just felt, well, odd about it. Like it’s a thought that’s tugging at my brain and I don’t know why. Ever have that happen? Well, as I thought more about it, especially today, I realized that it connects very well with the topic of leaving our mark, particularly as we look to go where we’re sent and share the Good News of the Gospel of Christ.
Quick story about me that most of you didn’t know before reading this. As a child, I was a wrestling fanatic. And when I say wrestling, I’m talking the 80s and 90s era… the good stuff. I grew up watching Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, and many others. The guy that was just bad to me (and when I say “bad” here I mean awesomely cool bad), the guy that no one could touch in my eyes, was the Ultimate Warrior. He was like a super hero in the ring, and he literally was my childhood hero because I was so engrossed in wrestling at that time.
How is that relevant? Well, look back at the picture above. That is Jim Hellwig, aka the Ultimate Warrior, with his two daughters, being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this past Saturday night. He shared a speech that evening, as most recipients of such honors often do, and made what would be his last public appearance Monday night on RAW. Late Tuesday night, Jim was walking with his wife, Dana, to their car and suddenly collapsed; shortly thereafter, he was pronounced dead at a local hospital. I learned of this Wednesday morning, and I could not help but go back to some of my childhood days and the memorable matches that I watched him in, including Wrestlemania VI when he won the title against Hogan and later that year against Randy Savage at a live show here in Chattanooga. This guy, albeit a scripted character, a childhood hero of mine, is now gone. Now, he obviously never did anything for me personally, but I guess as a 9-year-old, just being given something to be so excited about was enough.
What in the world could this possibly have to do with the Gospel and being sent to share it? Here’s my point in all of this. If we claim to be followers of Jesus, then we are sent to share His Gospel, in some way, whether it’s overseas or at the Chattanooga Food Bank, whether it’s some missions oriented Youth trip to another part of the country or Room In the Inn across town. There is no disputing this. In that, we each have an opportunity to have an impact, to leave our mark on someone else. How deep or wide that mark is for you is not the point; the point is that you realize you have that capability given by the Holy Spirit as He guides you. Sometimes you get to watch a new believer commit his life to Christ and follow in baptism when you’ve been the one to introduce him to Jesus; other times it may be that you encourage the reading of a book that just might draw a person closer to Christ or closer to the actual Word itself, but they may move away and you never get to see if the seed you planted took root and yielded anything. We are to be in the business of taking action; God is the one in the business of results and outcomes. Keeping that in mind, we cannot dismiss the fact that we have the potential to leave our mark on the lives of others, and if we are sent, there is a purpose behind it and our efforts should be exhausted in the process; what I mean is, give the mission your all. Do not allow the results to dictate how much you should or should not put into it (that’s why we’re so often not privy to the results part anyway). Push yourself, leave your mark on others as you go where you’re sent, holding nothing back, and let God determine and be the Judge of the outcomes.
Blessings and love to you all, our family in Christ!
David Henderson
Student Pastor