Living to make a difference

My pastor gives wonderful sermons. I like them so much that, when I'm away, I make sure to get a cd of the service so I can catch up. Yesterday he started a series called The Dash in Between. (You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14)

I'd like to share with you some of the key points of his talk, hoping that you will be inspired, as I was. Now this pastor is a cool guy - not a boring person at all - so I hope you'll bear with me as I share. And I hope that I will not be a bore either.

The series is about Faith, Hope, and Love. Today I'll talk about those three, and next time I'll talk a bit about what it means to live by faith.

So many good things seem to come in threes:

• An artist uses three basic colours: red, yellow, and blue to mix and create masterpieces;
• Architects and engineers use triangles, squares and circles; lines, angles and curves.

Similarly, we need three basic things to live a life that will make a lasting difference in the world: These are Faith, Hope and Love...and (as the Bible says) the greatest of these is Love.

Psalm 103:15-16 says:
Our days are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone-as though we had never been here.

Now I know that sounds kind of depressing. But the thing is, though we can die at any time, we can - with faith, hope, and love in our hearts - create a life that will leave something enduring behind. We can make a lasting difference, even when we're not remembered anymore. God made us for a purpose. And even if we ourselves don't think we're getting anything accomplished, we could be laying a foundation for others who come after us. We can do this by:

• Living by faith (will talk about this next time);
• Having patience to endure and have hope for ourselves and the world;
• Doing work that is prompted by love.

As someone who struggles with bipolar disorder, I've found comfort, direction and strength in living by faith, and with hope and love.

Life doesn't have to be just one long series of useless ups and downs. We can use these three spiritual elements to help change the world for the better. God can help us make a difference, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others.