A gate called Beautiful. The man was anything but.
He couldn’t walk but had to drag himself about on his knees. He passed his days among the contingent of real and pretend beggars who coveted the coins of the worshippers entering Solomon’s court. Peter and John were among them.
The needy man saw the apostles, lifted his voice, and begged for money. They had none to give, yet still they stopped. “Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us!’” (Acts 3:4 NCV). They locked their eyes on his with such compassion that “he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them” (v.5). Peter and John issued no embarrassed glance, irritated shrug, or cynical dismissal but an honest look.
It is hard to look suffering in the face. Wouldn’t we rather turn away? Stare in a different direction? Fix our gaze on fairer objects? Human hurt is not easy on the eye. The dusty cheeks of the Pakistani refugee. The wide-eyed start of the Peruvian orphan. Or the salt-and-pepper tangle of a beard worn by a drifter.
What do we see? And what does Jesus see?
“When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matt. 9:36).
Perhaps that is why we turn away. Who can bear such emotion? Especially when we can do nothing about it. Why look suffering in the face if we can’t make a difference?
Yet what if we could? What if our attention could reduce someone’s pain?
This is the promise of Peter and John’s encounter.
“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.’
And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:6-8)
What if Peter had said, “Since I don’t have any silver or gold, I’ll keep my mouth shut”? But he didn’t. He placed his mustard-seed-sized deed (a look and a touch) in the soil of God’s love. And look what happened.
An honest look led to a helping hand that led to a conversation about eternity. Works done in God’s name long outlive our earthly lives.
Let’s be people who stop at the gate. Let’s look at the hurting until we hurt with them.
No hurrying past, turning away, or shifting of eyes. No pretending or glossing over.
Let’s look at the face until we see the person.
By Max Lucado, Author of Outlive Your Life
Today to inspire you in your quest to make a difference, we are giving away:
FOUR AUTOGRAPHED copies of Max’s new book – Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference.
The Outlive Your Life Journal.
And five sets of Max Lucado boxed cards.
Just leave a comment before 10pm EST on Wednesday 9/22 and let us know about someone who is making a difference in your life and you’ll be entered to win.
Oh and what makes Max’s line even more special is that he is donating all the royalties he receives directly to World Vision.
If you want to hear more about the book and Max’s vision for how we can each make a difference, click here to watch him in his own words. It will be so worth your time!
My husband is making a difference in my life. I watch him, through genuine relationships, tear down the invisible walls still left by apartheid. He doesn’t wince when confronting suffering or turn away when being genuinely interested in someone is met with skepticism. He’s making a difference – in the world and in me.
My grandmother is making a difference for me. Watching her as she courageously heals from her injuries reminds me that I too should continue fighting.
My Father and Mother in Law. They are an everyday example of people who love the Lord with all their heart. Their life hasn’t been easy, but they walked with God most of their life, witnessing many miracles, helping so many people, staying humble and faithful.
My husband has made such a difference. Right now I am very broken hearted b/c I miscarried a baby two weeks ago. My hubby knows that I feel that loss in a greater way b/c I was carrying the baby. He loves me so gently, allows me to grieve, helps me in practical ways and is present in this time in our lives. He is a blessing in my hurt. I give thanks to God for my darling.
My pastor’s wife is making a huge difference in my life right now. Despite having an infant and toddler of her own, she is so supportive of my challenges as a working mom. I am inspired by her constant ability to offer what others need at a time when by rights she could be totally focused on her own family.
My mother-in-law makes a difference in my life, everyday, not just in the way she raised my amazing husband (and his siblings), but in the way she has accepted me into her family, and totally loves our children and us. Both her and my father-in-law have made practical contributions to our lives, and we daily feel the difference their prayers make in our lives!
We received some difficult news this week, news that will bring suffering to someone we love, suffering that it will not be possible to gloss over or look away from. This post is very timely.
My family has made the biggest difference in my life. My spiritual guidance and strength comes from them. Thank God for such a blessing. There have been many beautiful souls that have touched my life, some still here and some already gone. I thank God for finding this blog & each of you! Love – April
I have a friend who is dying. She is not going the way most people would want to, but I am learning so much from seeing this happen. Gail has made a difference in my life — both in how she’s lived and in how she is dying.
A friend by the name of Carla Boehm makes the differences for me. She has been there during my worst and best times of the past 16 yrs. She helped my husband and I learn how to budget our money. She has been there to help me learn everything can’t be my way and can’t come easy…
Have done a lot of Max Lucado Bible Studies and would love to win this book.
Patty
Connie is making a difference in my life. My husband passed away almost two years ago and she is a hospital chaplain who my husband and I met a few months before that. Even though I wasn’t her “patient”, my husband was, she has continued to be there for me and I’m not so sure I would have made it through these last two years without her. She has been such a help and encouragement to me plus she has shown me that the God who saved me cares about my tears and my problems and the deepest desires of my heart as well. I’m so thankful to God for leading her to us that day. We meet every month or two for lunch and, in between lunches, I stay in touch with emails. Just this past week, I told her in an email that I almost didn’t write because I felt she had heard from me enough lately. She replied, “Don’t say that let alone think it!!!!!!!!!! Actually I think it’s you that has had enuf of me……but u can’t chase me away…..I am not afraid of your grief.” That meant so much to me to find out she wasn’t going to let go of me. I think she may be the only person I know who is not afraid of my grief. God foresaw my need and brought her into my life that day and I’ll always love Him … and her. Thank You, God, for Connie.
A dear friend and I have been going through a season of prayer together. We talk almost daily about our joys and struggles and have been praying through both with one another. It has been a blessing and is making such a difference in my life!
My husband makes a difference in my life. I have been going through a tough time lately, but he has been right by my side, a constant encouragement, a steady supporter. And he is that way with everyone he knows. Thanks for the great opportunity to win this book!
Someone who has made a difference in my life is my sweet girlfriend from Church. She has loved me when I have been unloveable, confronted me when my feelings took my mind off course, and just plain had fun together.
That was a beautiful challenge for me — I am in South Africa and living in the midst of suffering day after day. Thank you for reminding me that a look in the eyes can be more valuable than a coin in the hand.
My friend Debbie sent me a birthday email today — she took the time to write out 29 reasons I could look forward to coming home for Christmas. Although it was simple, silly and sweet, I was in tears by the end of it, with thankfulness that someone far away is thinking of me. It’s amazing how we can still “look each other in the eyes” from halfway across the world. Her encouragement for me from far away has made a big difference.
What beautiful words….he has such a way with words! Josue, the little boy we sponsor in Guatemala, makes a difference in my life everyday. Just knowing that he exists on this earth in a country where we adopted our first child is a reminder of how easy we have it over here and how hard his life is over there. We pray for him daily and send him notes. We are blessed to know that we are making a difference in his life as well as his family’s life. In turn, he blesses us by giving us the knowledge that we can do something to help someone far away that we don’t know.
My best friend is making a difference. She is praying me through and loving me through some really difficult struggles I’m walking in right now. God has sent me such a blessing in her.
My best friend is making a difference. She is praying me through and loving me through some really difficult struggles I’m walking in right now. God has sent me such a blessing in her.
Abebe, from Ethiopia.
About five years ago I went to a Women of Faith conference and World Vision had a booth there to sponsor children. I asked God to lead me to the right child. We started sponsoring Abebe and he has made the greatest impact in our lives. His letters humbled us and helped us to be thankful for the blessing we have. At Christmas we are blessed to send him an extra gift. The family has used this gift to buy animals that help them and their neighbors to work their fields, this has allowed Abebe to go away to school. He often says that we have improved his life, but in reality, he has improved ours. My daughter has grown up knowing about the world in ways I could never have taught her. He has been nothing but a wonderful blessing in our lives.
My teens are making a difference in me.
I see the way other teen’s behave at school and I’m
so proud of how my kids respond.
They stick up for the least of these (even when they are persecuted for it).
I’m empowered by their Christlike love!
I am involved in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Every woman I have met through BSF and friendship formed has made such a difference in my life. I was a leader for a few years and that circle of women were amazing. It means so much to me to have special, Christian women in my life!
At this point, not to sound coy, but God is making a huge difference in my life! He has stripped me away from all things comfortable and familiar, which has forced me to lean on Him completely. I am very thankful for all that He is doing in my heart and life, and my family’s lives, even though it’s not always easy! I know He has great things for our future!!
A darling “beautiful” friend is making a difference. She has cared about what is going on in my life and has searched me out to check on things. She doesn’t wait until I come to ask her to pray. She mentions often ~ I pray for ______ every day. What a blessing to have someone quietly make a difference.
Blessings
My best friend Lora makes a difference in my life. She listens to me and encourages me in the hard times. We have been friends for about 25 years so we have a beautiful history together of loving each other in good times and challenging times. She is a nurse and seeks to glorify Christ through her work at a hospital and also in little things like what she posts on her Facebook page. I am very thankful for her.
My mother-in-law is making a difference in my life. Despite my struggling marriage, she has encouraged me every single day with a kind word or a Scripture reference that was just what I needed on that day. What a faithful woman and a woman honoring her Lord in all she does. She’s an example of what I strive to be every single day.
My brother in law and his wife are making a difference in my life right now. Both very gifted people, they generously open their home and their hearts to my husband and me consistently. We’d be much worse off if we didn’t have their support!
Someone making a difference in my life is the young lady I work with. I have a job that I’m not really fond of, but it’s where I’m at for now. A couple of weeks ago a 23 year old girl started working with me. She’s such a fine example of a Christian and she has made my days so much brighter. It’s surprising to me, an older Christian, who is supposed to be mentoring younger women, to have a younger woman be an example to me. I thank God that she is there.
A very good friend who is so supportive of my family in all of our ‘journies’ . From adoption, to homeschooling, to my dad being sick with cancer, days of mission work—she is right there ready to help, babysit, give time or money…with no thought of what she is getting out of it. Everyone needs a friend like that!!
I have so many that I am thankful for…that make a difference in my life. The writers on your site have made a huge impact on me. They have made me look outside my comfort zone, lean on Him for EVERYTHING, and open my heart to others. I am so appreciative of the time you take to post every day. I love getting the updates in my inbox each morning. I work in a very non-Christian atmosphere…it’s wonderful to get that boost each morning!!! Thank you.
I stand on the shoulders of so many faithful followers of Christ that I am hard pressed to choose just one. I can’t! I won’t. My daily life is made up of so many tiny pieces of influence that to tease them all apart is something akin to Mission Impossible!
So, I will try to express with little tiny words what so many unsuspecting people have deposited into my life and aided God is his creation of the me I am today.
The line of people that had and still have the greatest influence in my daily life begins with my parents. They sometimes struggled in their own walk of faith, but they taught me to love and accept people of all different shapes, sizes and colors. That God makes as all to be unique and beautiful in his image and that we can enjoy his creations in the vast variety of people that surround us everyday.
To my Sunday School teachers and other mentors that have (and still tirelessly do!) confronted me about learning to speak the truth in love and not just speak the truth!
To my husband that shows me unconditional love, faithful companionship and steadfast hope.
To my children that I have learned so many lessons from!! Long-suffering! 🙂 Overwhelming joy! Commitment and anticipation of the future!
To the Creator of the Universe and all the avenues that he shows his love, compassion, grace and mercy to me. The God that rises me up each morning and continues to pour his blessings on me. My cup runneth over!
The Lord is coming to mind first. He is using so many people, but mostly, my sister. Today is her birthday. Happy happy one, Lisa!
I love this inspiring reading. My mother has made such an impact on my life. She has taught me to press on through watching her press even though she does not feel well. I watch her stand up and preach God’s word despite the pain she is in. She has taught me that mininstry is not about how you feel, but about your committment to God’s service. Because of my mother, I am a loving, caring, compassionate, dedicated, loyal woman of God. Watching her has helped me become a strong woman in the Kingdom of God.
The CE Director at my church is making a difference in my life – I’m finding her to be a kindred spirit in so many ways, from backgrounds, to current interests and responsibilities, it’s a pleasure to work with her and I’m so grateful for her leadership.
My kids make a difference in my life every day. They are slowly but surely being used by God to pull out each and every one of my selfish ways! Looking forward to reading this book!
Nancy Gardner, my Life Purpose Coach, http://www.lifepurposecoachingcenters.com/Coaches/NancyGardner/tabid/269/Default.aspx is making a huge difference in helping me see God’s best for me so I can live fully the purpose for which I was created. She is full of love and peace and her relationship with the Lord is a beautiful thing!
We are very blessed to be surrounded by people who live out loud! My grandparents are prime examples of this—they just know when we need a hand (or anyone else for that matter!). They are selfless givers and I love them more than words can say!
While my husband, mother, friends, and the wonderful (in)courage ladies all make my list, I have to say that I am most inspired by a college friend, Matt Nespoli. He not only inspires me to do more with what I have, but he has put his words into action through his foundation, Water for Waslala (www.waterforwaslala.org). Their goal is to build fresh water wells in Nicaragua, and they are doing it! Praise God 🙂
My husband is making a difference in my life right now. We have been through difficult years with the loss of our second child from Trisomy 18 and then then his painful admission to a difficult addiction. But through it all God has been his inspiration. With God’s help he is fighting his addiction and winning. And I am inspired to be my best self.
I am so thankful to have a dear friend in my life named Coreen who is loving me so unconditionally. I have let her in fully to know both my strengths and my weaknesses. As the weaknesses come up, she encourages me towards Jesus, as well as just accepting me right where I am at, speaking Jesus’s truth in my life.
Oh my gosh I was JUST thinking about this scripture yesterday… what a beautiful take on it…
Reading through it I couldn’t help but think about the Compassion Bloggers tour that just returned and how courageous they all were to do exactly as you have said – looking suffering in the face and DOING something.
“What if our attention could reduce someone’s pain?”
Sometimes we just need folks to sit with us where we are. Beautiful
Yes, Jenny, yes… I’m a puddle reading this today…
I’ve wanted to run all day from the internet, all this grief inside, not knowing how write anymore… and this is the first thing I’ve read on the internet today.
And what does God gently speaks?
How He hears… comforts.
I have no words.
Just unspeakable gratitude.
And longing to stand at the gate and give all my attention at each and every person for as long as I have breath.
Thank you, Jenny… for standing with us. Such beauty here — if we can bear it.
My wonderful friend is showing me just how to look at pain in the face… Her fiancee is struggling with his health, and as she stays close to him as he recovers, her brother collapased in another room, and now she is devasted with reality her brother is dying and there is nothing doctors can do for him, as she draws strength to cope, her fiance gets sick again, and spends two weeks back and forth between two hospitals, what she is showing me is that she has learned to trust in GOD and let go… and to confront what comes to us in life with courage that GOD is in control, and the beautiful thing to me is that she tells me she learned this from me…. It is amazing how a little seed planted in a heart can grow and then bloom when needed the most…. Oh that we could spread this seed to everyone we meet….
My best friend has been my encourager. She keeps me motivated and is wonderful at helping me see who I am in Christ. You can never be encouraged enough!
My Mom has made a difference in my life—grew up during the 40’s and 50’s, and she has struggled with 6 kids (two of them my oldest sister’s-starting over when all of us 4 girls had grown up); endured my dad’s cancer struggle; and has pulled herself up by her bootstraps and kept on going – now 74 years young! She is constantly on the move, and is always there to lend us a helping hand when we need it – at anytime – for anything. She is a strong woman, I and love her dearly!
Jesus Christ is the greatest influence in my life. Not simply because of who He is, but because of what He does. He takes one like me and begins to mold and to make me into the woman that He created me to be. Not the person I am, or even want to be. But, the one He created me to be. This is astounding because I’ve not been easy to mold. I insist on my own way. Yet, He patiently and lovingly continues to reveal the more “excellent way”. It is not the way of my choosing, but His. And, He does this in spite of me.
My Momma has made quite a difference in my life. We know how mothers are everything when you are young, but my Momma is everything to me while I am old. She is 83 and I can talk to her about everything and I know she will lead me back to the cross where my help comes from…we pray over everything, ;>)
I have a couple of friends who have been amazing encouragers lately as I’ve grown and wrestled with how God is changing me.
GayNell Branum made a difference in my life. When I was in my early 20’s she saw leadership potential in me. GayNell was the head of our WMU at church and she came to me and asked me to be the head of the WMU because health problems were slowing her down. After praying, I said yes, and the rest is history. I went from teaching GA’s to leading Women on Mission to being on the WMU leadership team of our association. All this because one woman impacted my life in such a profound way. She was special.
My family just started attending a small group called a “life group” at church. They are making the biggest difference in my life right now. There are two other families besides ours. We are making friends and feeling accepted and loved. I am so amazed and grateful.
i just read max’s book and loved it!!! it sparked something in me – a desire to be hands and feet of Jesus. people who are making a difference in my life would be the teenagers i come in contact with each week. i’m a youth leader and i honestly love working with the best group of kids around (maybe i’m a little biased :-). seeing them on fire for God and living out their faith in their schools and city, it encourages me to do the same. to not be afraid to speak about my faith. to be a contagious christian.
The Ort family makes a difference in my life. Since I met them 7 years ago, they have continued to prove to be a selfless, loving, compassionate example to me – not only in their ministry to people with disabilities, but within there own family. They are amazing! You can check them out here if you are interested : http://ortsinmontana.blogspot.com
For me, it’s my sisters in Christ. It never fails on a day full of struggles that one of them just randomly shows up and can tell just looking at me what I need. PRAYER. Yesterday had been a rough day for both myself and my friend and we talked for a bit about the struggles in our lives and then we bow our heads and lift one another up to The Lord. College can be hard but I know that I have some of the best friends, who also happen to be my sisters in Christ, and with God on our side, we have nothing to fear! 🙂
What a refreshing way to begin the morning. Reminding me to see as He sees.
Today, I am encouraged by a women who believes in me to lead and inspire despite my shortcomings and failures. It is a powerful thing that she is able to look past all that to see Jesus in me.
My husband makes a difference in my life. He has shown me the great strength that comes when relying on God and being determined to make a difference. This website and the wonderful bloggers that send great encouragement and hope to my inbox everyday. You have made all the difference. Thank you and God Bless.
I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by so many who are making a difference in my life. My daughter, who is teaching me to interact with those I don’t know and share Christ, to my husband who teaches me more about grace and forgiveness. To Illuminate and our leaders….their willingness to serve God’s Kingdom inspires me and convicts me to do more for His kingdom.
What a great post. Thank you Max Lucado for sharing this with all the gals here at (in)courage today.
My husband and my son are making a huge difference in my life. Everyday I see the hand of God in my life through them and am so super thankful for them. My son is a miracle baby and at only 10 months, just the sight of him causes me to thank God!
The one who makes a difference in my life is the Lord. He is what comes to my mind when I ask this question. I have had lots of trials in my life. He has been my faithful one. He is my best friend, and he just loves me no matter what. God just makes me want to be a better person, and if I am living for and focusing on him, then I am free to be what he wants me to be. He is my source for the little details and the big ones. I am so thankful for him.
For me it is the people in my life that call me, knowing I am so far away at a new job and having a hard time with it…they call me, listen and love me, even 600 miles away from them I can feel them really caring about me. And I am so thankful, because they are making a difference in my life by asking me the tough questions, and loving me during this hard time.
They are “my people” and I am so thankful for them.
My grandmother is still making a difference in my life after her death at the end of June. She so courageously faced the inevitable. Her only spoken concern was the desire that her death not be the burden of grief, or the straw that breaks the camels back, to turn me away from her faith. She was a wonderful example of how to live and love in our faith.
I’m blessed to work for a npo that is led by a wonderfully strong Christian woman. She was called to leave a comfy job to found an agency that serves kids in foster care. Though we get to create fun for these kids, daily we here from the kids about their earth shattering struggles. The founder is making a difference. She’s been called to serve our American orphans, and she won’t back down. I’m so proud to stand by her in this mission!
My boys Connor and Isaac are making a difference in my life! They are reminding me to focus on the present and cherish each day. We are about to walk down an uncertain path as our 5 month old has major neuro surgery and I am reminded by these boys every day that each day is a gift. They don’t just make me a better mom – they make me a better person!
Providing compassion to others not only blesses them, but returns blessings to you. Makes me also think about the commercials showing simple acts of kindness that multiply.
Our church’s new pianist is loving on my when I need it the most – she’s making me feel real again – I’m so thankful!
My mother-in-law has made such a difference in my life! Not only by raising my incredible husband to be the man he is, but she constantly is investing in me as a person, as well as the rest of my family. She takes the time to encourage, to support and to love. She’s not had an easy life, but you would never know. She wears such a smile that shows the love of God and has influenced so many people around her!
My friend and neighbor, Joanne, is making a difference in my life. For the last five months, she has been my cheerleader, confidant, and caregiver in a dark time. I am her first e-mail in the morning, wishing me well, and her last check in the evening- even while tending her own family and traveling. I don’t think I would have gotten through many of those days without her voice. And in blessing me, she has blessed my family and family of choice. Because now I am so vividly sure of what a difference that kind voice can make, and I try to be that for others when I can.
I truely believe in the ripple effect – I know in my heart when I have been blessed by a caring person taking a chance on me, that I have tried to do the same to others. I work in a bank and I especially notice when a client comes up to me with a frown on his face I do everything I can to brighten their day and turn that frown upside down. Looking into their eyes, speaking gently, showing I care and I’ve amazed myself sometimes at how well this works ~ and for me it makes my day knowing that I’ve helped in some small way.
My mother is making a difference in my life. She always tells me how she is praying for me and guides me to go for a high goal. She speaks so highly of me, and sometimes I struggle believing her…but she is my mom. And I love her so much.
My mom makes my life easier, shares my struggles, joins in with my work load.
What better way to make a difference than to share the burden.
I LOVE Max!!!! Repost his tweets almost daily, such wisdom!!!
I have a dear blogging friend who I’ve had the privilege to meet in real life. She is in her 70’s and has more energy for the Lord than people half her age. She inspires with her wisdom and her life experiences. She is more than a blessing to all who have been giving the joy of knowing her.
During my husband’s unemployment while we lived in a city not very near any of our family, we had a dear friend who loved us and still does as we do her. Though she is a single mother who was attending college and working as a church receptionist at the time, she lovingly and quietly blessed us with a large amount of money in our time of need. It got us through that month just when we needed it most. She would not accept “No” as an answer when she gave me the check. She said the Lord laid it on her heart to do this for us and knew He would provide for her when she needed it as well.
We are still dear friends with her to this day and will never forget her generosity and selflessness. As we are able, we try to bless her in return as well.
What an inspiring post! I loved reading this and it really touched my heart. There are so many people I could pick that are making a difference in my life but I’ll pick my friend Steph. She is there for me to brighten my day each and every day even tho we’re thousands of miles apart. She knows & understands my struggles with MS because she has the same ones and encourages me to be the person that I’m meant to be.
My wonderful friend and mentor is making a difference in my life. Her hospitality knows no boundaries. Not only is she hospitable to friends and strangers but she has the wisdom most of us don’t to turn that hospitality inward toward her family. Her husband and children are constantly showered with her hospitable attitude toward them; she serves them with a greatful heart and it is noticed.
I have three “sisters” from my church family who have guided me through an incredibly hard time following the loss of my son almost 5 years ago. They pray for me, listen to me, and are here for me whenever I call out, and when my birth family has failed me. I thank God every day for these sisters; I am not certain I would have survived if He had not sent them to me.
My Mom has made a difference in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am today without her love and support. At one point in my life, when I didn’t think I’d make it, she was there in every way possible, helping me thru to the other side.
I would love to win this book, not for me, but for her…
thanks for the opportunity.
Stay blessed!
My pastor is making a difference in my life. He is not afraid to speak the truth from the pulpit each Sunday. He has made me realize several things in my life that I need to change in order to be on fire for the Most High Lord! 🙂
I love the encouragement that read on this site each day! 🙂 Thanks!
My best friend is making a huge difference in my life. Her smiling face, joyful heart, and warm hugs always bring sunshine to my day. She lives 2 hours away and I miss seeing her in person, but I always know she is just a mere phone call away. God has used her to open my heart to true, deep, and meaningful friendship and I will be forever grateful.
My 27 year old daughter’s husband was killed on the 1st of this month. Leaving behind three children. And through this devastating tradegy our Lord is carrying all of us. Knowing that my son-in-law was a good man in so many ways is also a comfort. Standing on the Word of God especially Psalms 71:19-21. I know if we didn’t know our Lord and Savior this accident would destroy this family. Thank you Lord, for loving us and for giving us your Word, and especially Your Son.~Sonya
The body of Christ at large–so many people who are praying for our family and looking at our suffering in the face are changing our lives. Our daughter Danica, almost 3, will have her second brain surgery and spinal fusion on October 5th in Cincinnati. http://www.teamdanica.com. You are God’s hands to us. “Where there is great love there are always miracles.” W. Cather.
There are alot of people making a difference in my life right now. My Aunt is making a difference by supporting my decision to return to college and getting me back to school clothes to help me to have confidence and achieve my goals. My husband and I live on one income and have 4 children to raise and it’s a constant struggle financially but my family helps out so much with school clothes and things the kids need. My cousin Katie is like my sister and she’s always been there for me even when I haven’t been there for her! I go to church with some amazing Christian women that uplift me each time i’m around them and will forever be grateful for them!
Living a radical, wholly devoted life to God… this is the story I want to have for the rest of my days on this earth. Thank you for encouraging us!!!!
My children are making a difference in my life. They have helped me grow in more ways than I ever could have imagined. My oldest daughter is eighteen and my youngest is fifteen. The wisdom these young ladies have is so amazing to me. I see how God is working in their lives and it brings such joy to my heart. My oldest daughter has been through many difficult trials already in her young life, but she has such a passion for the Lord and she has not allowed those things to make her bitter, but to make her better. I have had fibromyalgia for most of my adult life and at times it is very hard, but I decided a while ago that I would not allow this thing to steal my joy or my life. My children encourage me on those days when my body is really hurting. They are so understanding and forgiving on those really hard days when my patience is not what it normally is because of the pain. I am so thankful the Lord blessed me with my two daughters. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without them.
There are a list of folks who are making a difference in my life, loving me and encouraging me, lifting me up in prayer and in life. But today, the one person who comes to mind is a dear woman of God (and my spiritual counselor) Terry Keene. She listens with her heart and mind open, faithfully prays for me, encourages me and is real with me always. She is a wonderful blessing in my life.
carrie and june are making a difference in my life. through the skype conversations. e-mails. facebook messages. because they may be thousands of miles away from me, but they’re still walking with me and praying for me and inspiring me and helping me let go and let god. they’re the ones who take the time to listen to my messy heart and to be there to speak words of life into my quiet heart.
my husband and my mom . . . they both make a HUGE difference in my life each and every day!
blessings,
shana
My husband is making a big difference in my life. Watching the patience with which he handles family concerns with his parents…his patience with me when I make mistakes and feel horrible about them and he just takes me in his arms and loves me and talk with me about the things we will need to do to deal with the situation without judging me or making me feel bad. I am in awe of how he unconditionally loves me. This has caused such healing in my heart. His love always points me to the Love of our Heavenly Father. I am in awe that I am so blessed by Him. We handle life’s challenges together. I need to learn to be more patient like he is!
Ann Voskamp is making a huge difference in my life.
Also writing comments on (in)courage motivated by a free giveaway has gotten me writing daily and given me permission so to speak, to write. Joining a writing community that’s huge, online. That’s a big difference for me, and I thank you.
Wendy is making a difference in my life! I have never really met her just got to know her from her blog on facebook and she is one of the only blogs out there that post a sunday sentiments and it blesses me so much! I have been kind of down I had a misscariage 4 years ago and it still gets to me sometimes and through her post on christ and how I know I am not the only one out there that is struggling with this same situation give me strength to hear other women who love God and are not afraid to say it!!
God is making a difference in my life today. As I try to wrap my head around the true beauty and passion He has for all His children, regardless of their faults, I am in utter amazement of His unconditonal love. I have learned to stop trying to over think His love with my head but just wrap my heart around His promise. He will not leave us in the storm. He will stay with us until it passes and help us get back on our personal faith journey He has prepared for us. We just have to trust Him!
The Pastor at our church is making a difference in my life. She holds a faith
class once a week and not only are we learning about the Bible, but how to
apply it to our everyday lives! Also, the close bonding of everyone in the
class is very special!
Many thanks, Cindi
WOW Max, that is a powerful things to do!!! I hope to reach someone as my friends are reaching and helping us. We live far away from our family and relatives, a continent apart actually! They are in the S we are in the N….. friends scattered all over the world…. W / E / S and a little N too…. but w/ phone calls, chats, FB comments, they are lifting up our loneliness. But what I found amazing is that if WE care about others around our loneliness disappear!! so keeping busy doing what Peter and John did….. is part of this secret. Thanks God for our church family, and also friends that are far but near….. And WOW !husband & Kids help a lot!! (why I feel lonely then? )…….
Blessings
Wow, thank you for this! This is so much on my mind lately…to be broken enough to see suffering and have change me and move me to action, to not let anything get in the way of taking that action, to let God break my heart for the poor and suffering and then fill the cracks with something more precious and life-changing than silver or gold. So much to pray on today!
I have a sweet neighbor and friend who has been making a difference in my life lately. I have a chronic illness, and due to a recent symptom flare I have been nearly bed-bound. I am a wife and mother of two young children. Our family has needed a lot of help and support in the past few weeks. In our experience, most people abandon us when our suffering increases and we need help from others. It hurts so much to have those you love abandon you in your time of greatest need. But this sweet neighbor has been a faithful friend to me. She has come to my bedside to visit me. She has taken care of my children on numerous ocassions. She has brought meals to us. She has shown us the love of Christ and true compassion, not just with words, but with deeds.
My husband, my mom, and my mother in law are making a difference in my life lately. They have all been supportive and loving me in the ways that I need right now. They understand that I don’t need things, just their time, their prayers, and their love. My moms have made such an impact in my life as of late and I’m learning more and more how to appreciate them and the journey’s they have been on. My husband and I have been walking a journey together that has been challanging for our marriage but has brought us closer to God and closer to each other.
I am so thankful for (in)courage. This blog has made a huge impact in my life and has made me want to dig deeper, connect with people (both online and in person), and to appreciate the friends that God has placed in my life.
My Mom is making a difference in my life. She helps me with my kids, allowing me to work full time and help support our family. Mom is amazing — she never ceases to amaze me of how she shows us daily her Christian love and selflessness.
My Mom is my hero!
in the past 2 years God has placed some wonderful people in my life that have helped me with life in general, and to become closer to God. This includes my best friend. We help each other out in a lot of the things we do on a daily basis. I believe God is using both of us to strengthen each other and to stay on track following Him, and to help others as well. I am truly amazed at how God works, and how awesome He really is! 🙂
I’m too late, darn! I love Max Lucado and have read his books for years and years.
My pastor is making a difference in my life right now…even in a large church, he notices individuals. Thank you!
Thank you for the reminder to be Jesus right here on earth.
Right now, my 6 year old son, Mac, is making a difference in my life.
His enthusiasm for the Lord is just precious. He spends his free time writing songs, practicing them, and then recording himself singing them! He sent one of his songs to his older brother, Taylor, who’s in Kodiak, AK with the USCG. Taylor texted me after watching the video and said it was EXACTLY what he needed to hear 🙂
I’m praying that this sweet 6 year old never outgrows his love for prayer and for worshiping Jesus Christ.
Mac’s boldness in loving Jesus through songs and prayer remind me not to get too busy that I fail to praise God and encourage others in Him.
[…] of how we tend to look away from suffering instead of looking it face on. It’s a post called “Looking Suffering In The Face” by Max […]
Jesus is making a difference in my life, each and every day. There is no one on this earth that can compare to what He has done for me. I was blessed to be placed in a faith-filled family, with tremendous examples of strong, spiritual women.
Jesus changed my life. At seven years old, my oldest son was diagnosed with cancer. Before that earth shattering news, my biggest complaint was getting a bad haircut.
Jesus changed my life. My son endured and fought the fight and won.
Yet everyday, we fight Satan and we have the power to win through Jesus Christ.
It is really that simple.
My friend, Linda, is making a difference in my life. She is a woman of integrity, strength, vision and most of all faith. She loves even when it’s risky. She builds others up. She looks for the good – always. She sees God and the life He has called her to as an adventure to be enjoyed!
God is making a difference in my life right now. He is molding me and shaping, and sometimes its painful, but I know it His work, not mind. And He has lead many wonderful Christians into my life to help me through this process. What a joy to know I am standing in the middle of His Will for this life that is His!!!
It is not just one person who is making a difference in my life, it is many. I am involved in Kairos Prison Ministry International at a women’s prison in Georgia. It is the lovely women of God who are incarcerated that are making a difference in my life. I can only imagine the conditions in which they live and yet my incarcerated Kairos sisters always remind me of His love when I am there. Satan is ever-present in their environment and they are often mocked and taunted as was our Lord. They continue to be His witnesses and His light in a dark world.
Right now, my husband is making a difference in my life which really surprises me lol. He is being there for a friend that REALLY needs help right now – when everyone else is turning their back on this person.. my husband is willing to help him out in what ever way he knows how. I am not sure what has gotten into my husband as this is not his normal response to something like this but he sees how badly this other person is hurting and seeking help and it is inspiring to me to watch. I am behind my husband in his decisions but I also feel for the other party involved in this mess. May God be glorified in what happens with all of this and please.. pray for wisdom and guidence for both my husband, myself and the other people involved in this situation. This post is especially significant in our situation today.. thank you Lord and thank you Max Lucado!
My daughter is making a difference in my life. She is actually my step-daughter and I do not have biological children. When I met Colin, my husband, he told me a little bit about Julia and her condition. She was born with cardio-facio-cutanous syndrome, a super rare (less than 200 people diagnosed in the world at this time, and only termed and recorded as an official diagnoses in 1989-ish) “spontaneous genetic mutation.” I met Julia 16 years ago when she was just 4. Her mother and Colin had been divorced for about a year due to infidelity, not on Colin’s part. I am sure it must have been hard having your first child born with so many challenges and unknowns. It was hard for them to get any help because there were so many questions and so few answers. They both struggled. To make a long story short, in 2003 and at the age of 13 Julia became my full-time daughter. Her “mother” has been out of her life for 7 years now.
In 2003 I was so angry that this could happen. Didn’t her mother love her? Didn’t her mother know she needed her? Didn’t anyone care that I had chosen not to become a mother because I didn’t want children? Didn’t Colin know I was not up to the challenge? My thoughts were “this is temporary; she’ll go back with her mom once she gets her life straightened out and out of her second dysfunctional marriage.” Not so. She did get out of the marriage but mentally was spent. Colin and I decided that we would take care of her so that she could recover and resume care of Julia. She lived in a condo we owned, rent free, we spent a lot of money on babysitters so that she could see Julia with supervision, we counseled, bribed, and listened to hours of fantasy and witnessed the complete unraveling of a person. She finally left and we didn’t hear from her for years. She has spent the last years in and out of contact, and is currently living several hundred miles from her daughter, we think.
There is so much more from police involvement to child protective services and a number of other government agency’s input into Julia’s life. But the question was about how she is changing my life. Julia has a very low IQ of about 40; she functions on an 18 month old level. Each morning when I go in to wake her she gets up with the most beautiful smile on her face. She faces more obstacles on a daily basis than I do in a year or more, yet she is always happy and welcomes the new day enthusiastically. She is brave, kind, caring and loving. She is empathetic and sympathetic and always willing to give a hug. She is the person I want to be. I love my daughter and, yes, we struggle almost daily in our roles as mother and daughter but at the end of the day she is always my role model, my idol and certainly my hero. I love you Jules!
My hubby has made a huge difference in my life. He is strong, brave, and such a man of integrity. Others look to him for wisdom and as an example of true Faith. When we lost our daughter, he provided me with strength, a shoulder to cry on, and courage. I thank God for him!
Interestingly enought- its’s blogs of women (like this one!) and men all over the internet (and namely this amazing Godly community) that have inspired, instilled ideas, and challenged me more over the past 4 months that have provided me courage to transform and grow.
God has blessed me with so many who have changed my life and impacted me. It really is hard to pick just one.
If I had to pick one person, I would chose William Arthur. He was the owner of the Christian Bookstore I used to work at. He taught me to be a little more humble, a little more compassionate and a little more hungry for God.
Don’t know where he is today, but I truly thank God he was placed in my life.
I am making a difference in my life today. Not the me I see, but the Me HE made me to be. I am learning to belive all that He believes about me.
SR Levelt, who runs a school in Malou, Haiti. The school has always been at her home. She continues to hold school there for 100 students even though her house was heavily damaged in the earthquake on January 12th. She is living in a tent but greets these children each day with the joy of the Lord!
My friend, also named Debbie, has made (and continues to make) a huge difference in my life. She took time to see into my eyes. She encourages me when I need encouraged and pushes me when I need pushed…always pointing me to Jesus.
My mom and dad are making a difference in my life. Right now I am in Mexico working as a teacher with a missions organization, and they are always encouraging me and making me laugh whenever we talk.
Holley (Heart to Heart with Holley) is making a difference in my life by speaking to me, and leaving a bright spot to go to every day, where I know I will find encouragement and faith to restore my weary soul at the end of a hard day!
Our church and small group is doing The Hole in Our Gospel series, written by the director of World Vision. It has been life changing for me. I always thought I did pretty good with giving and considering the poor. Boy was I ever wrong, I was just doing enough to make myself feel good.
My children are making a difference in my life. They teach me every day to love unconditionally, and to strive to be a better person so that I can set a good example for them.
my dearest Holy Spirit…the One whose Presence i fail to recognize and acknowledge many a time…still, He cares about every single detail of my life.. the One who notices my deepest longings and hidden hurts and comforts me like a mother…the One who sends me surprise packets of love and joy all along my way…the One who is more than a friend when i stand at the cross roads of life…Oh, who else can make a difference in my life as He does, my Sweet Spirit…I’m so indebted to Him…
My son has made a difference in my life. He joined the navy and while in boot camp I joined the website Navyformoms.com and have served as the prayer warrior for moms with recruits at boot camp and have also been offering practical advice and tips as well as a thought for the day to a woman who suffered from agoraphobia. It has been a blessing to me because my husband pastors a church and as one group wanted to keep me from using my spiritual gifts God encouraged me to wait for Him to open this door and ministry opportunity. He is awesome and when your own will not accept your ministry God will make a way for you to still carry out His purposes for your life.
My children are making a difference in my life. They are teaching me to be strong in the face of a very uncertain future and live each day as it comes, to the fullest.
My friend Mandie makes all the difference in my life. If I am ever down I can call her and she will center me back to reality and point me to the feet of Jesus.
I am so blessed to have friends who love me…friends who know Jesus. This year has been daunting, to say the least. My mom went home to the Lord early this year, then I broke my ankle. This, on top of being unemployed, left me shocked, bewildered, and needing a touch from the Lord. Well, He sent my friends to rescue …me. Many helped, but TK and Rick went beyond anything I could have imagined. They bought (brought) me food, cooked, cleaned, and took me to my doctor’s appointments. God will never leave us, nor forsake us. He was always there in the form of my loving, selfless friends. Thank You!!!
God is the only and greatest difference in my life. This life that was so unworthy and lost is now full of light and grace, thanks to our Father! He has taken my weary, sad, and broken heart and turned it white as snow ~ teaching me to truly love for the first time. His making a difference in my life is what saved my life!
My best friend is making a difference in my life. She is a wonderful mother, wife and woman of God. BUT we can be honest with each other about struggles and weaknesses. Her “realness” and her desire to please her God encourage me daily.
My mom is making a difference in my life. I have Chronic Lyme Disease and suffer with a lot of pain, fatigue, nervous system malfunction, etc. My mom has been there for me through it all, and I know she feels my pain just as much as I do, in a different way. I appreciate that she doesn’t pity me like so many others do. She’s just there, a constant, and her strength makes it bearable.
I just wrote a post about Carol on the National Day of Encouragement. She makes a difference simply by being her. Ironically, the same post included a Max Lucado video. Enjoy more on her here http://melissanesdahl.blogspot.com/2010/09/encouraging-those-who-encourage-us.html
My sister, Susanna, is an individual who lives her life to the fullest and strives to help others do the same. She is a social worker at an asthma center, but ends up doing so much more for her patients. She has helped me during one of the most difficult periods of my life. She has given her time, prayers, words of encouragement, resources, love, and advice – both as from a sister’s point of view and from her experience as a social worker.
my friend & pastors wife is mentoring me in amazing and glorious things for God right now. Whether I turn to the right or to the left HE is right behind me, “I can hear HIS voice saying this is the way, walk in it.”
My sweet friend is helping me discern the direction and walk in total confidence, knowing that as long as I listen to HIM, I am doing the correct thing.
Hello,
The person who has made a difference in my life is my spiritual mother…What a blessing!! She has taught me so much and her love for the LORD is so amazing!! She is 73 years old and the LORD is taking her all over to teach on the importance of Worship!!
She is a role model of Titus 2..the older women are to teach the younger women…PTL!!!
I am thankful the LORD brought us together, she is my mother, my sister and friend!!!
🙂
I have been given a wonderful opportunity to have already read this book! I highly recommend it! Well written, challenging, encouraging, well worth the cost!
My boyfriend is making a difference in me. He is teaching me about stability and how people don’t leave during the bad times. He encourages me instead of discouraging. That stability and encouragement helps me to help others in need.
Thanks,
Nichole
Everyone makes a difference in my life…maybe for the positive, maybe for the negative. But positively? My Mom and Dad make a difference in my life because they’re always there to talk to and they help me figure things out. But most of all, God is there for me and He has made ALL the difference in my life. He has changed it. Remolded it. Maybe I haven’t acted the way I should now that I’m His daughter…but I’m in the making. And my God can make something out of nothing.
🙂 Laura
My husband is making a huge difference in my life. We’ve been married for a year and I’ve learned so much from him during that time. He is selfless, kind, genuine, and can make anyone laugh. Most importantly, he loves the Lord with everything inside of him. He is one of the pastors at our church and works so well with the college students. Watching him introduce young people to Jesus is so touching. He not only makes a difference in my life, but in the lives of those he encounters each day.
A little girl in Guatemala.
A little boy in a tin shack in a ravine.
A weeping mother in the shadows.
A team of Compassion bloggers, and leaders, Patricia, Dustin, Shaun.
An email from a friend who travels to look deeply into eyes at gates all over the world, trying to help me through now…
*This post. *
You’ll never know how God used this post to answer a million questions, heal a thousand inner cracks.
I am in awe of how God answers our prayers — in a plethora of ways that leaves us in humble worship.
Standing at the gate, bearing the wonder of their beauty…
Ann Voskamp
My entire Church!! I am a new believer, only since April. They have encouraged me with the sermons, small care group, bible study, a new Christian Study Group, My mentor, the Women’s care group, CORE Classes & reading materials, Cyber library & music! I am so excited! We are beginning 40 Days of Outflow this weekend & I cannot wait for God to guide my feet into the ministry of his will!
Mr. Lucado’s work is fanitastic! I am already a big fan! Thank you! D 🙂
My workplace is going through a difficult time with a change of ownership and the departure of our manager who was also a large part of our work family. One of my co-workers, Wendy, has been a steady stream of encouragement and faith to me. She has helped me to see beyond the uncertainties and turmoil which has eased my stress. She has been an angel to me.
My small group at church. They long to know and love God more deeply and long to know and love one another more deeply too. One purpose of the group is to equip each other to go out and serve in sacrificial ways. There are just such a beautiful variety of ways that each one is paying attention to others; on the streets, in homes, in prison, in foreign lands, in the low places. This family is encouragement embodied to me.
I have several people who daily impact my life. Starting w/my best friend Karen who was the person who brought Christ into my life 31 yrs ago and to this day gives me so much inspiration. I sent her one of the Dayspring cards and wrote a personal note inside which I told her how grateful I was God put her in my life all those years ago and how she herself has had some major losses in her life starting w/her 20 day old son who didnt’ survive to her surgery this coming Monday Sept 21st. She survived when no one sd she would over a yr ago, now they have to open her from breast bone to pelvic bone and fix her. they have no idea what they will face when they get into surgery. She is so strong in her faith and thru all this she is facing is there for me going thru my own personal issues. She prays w/me on the phone and in private and I know without her in my life I would not be the person I am today. I am so thankful to God for her.
My husband.
He showers me with SUCH love. Flatters me, holds me, speaks truth to me. He’s someone I trust and learn much from.
I’m a richly blessed woman and I don’t take that lightly.
My husband as we walk the road of post war disorders, my grandmother through her quilts, and my second oldest son as we have walked the road of health problems since he was born over thirteen years ago. His health problems are getting worse and my faith in Him is getting stronger each day. In Him is where I find hope, strength for today, joy, and peace. On my own I can do nothing, in Him I can do much! I never knew my grandmother because she was stricken with alzeihmers when I was young and passed away shortly there after.
My husband who not only provides for our family but also serves in the military and is serving as a state representative. He is such an inspiration to all who work with him or come to him for help. I am in awe.
God has blessed me with a beautiful encourager called Esther. She has been one of my spitiual mentors for about 20 years but has become a very close friend & confidant in the last few years. I can be ME with her and she encourages me to look to Christ in all areas of life. she just gets me & always has a Godly perspective to whatever is happening in my life, despite her own many sufferings (her life is so much harder than mine), she always has aloving word or action to share with me.
Gail
Ann Voskamp is making a difference in my life. The way she writes, the honesty she shares, the God she seeks. She makes me feel, think, ache for more of Him. She has touched me in so many ways. I thank God for her and her writings.
My friend C.P. makes a difference in my life by loving me for exactly who I am and then encouraging me to be better.
I am so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people who are making a difference in my life by the way they live. I try to find something in each person that I know that I can take for myself, learn from, grow from and make a difference in my life. I am so thankful for all the people God has surrounded me with and I try to find God’s fingerprints and traits in their lives so that I can learn and grow. I thank God for each of them and for the bloggers that I have discovered who are adding to my life. Thank you.
My Father in heaven is making a difference in my life. He is teaching me to love those who have hurt me, to be content with where He has me in my life right now and that He is with me all the way, even when I don’t “feel” His presence.
My sis-n-law inspires me everyday to look at the homeless as people just like you and me. She sees them every day in her job and has helped me realize they are just one meal, one paycheck, one crisis, one health issue away from me. Her compassion inspires me.
My best friend Tracy knows me better than I know myself sometimes. She has shepherded me through my transition to a new town, patiently listened as I try to process through old issues, and dragged me out when I tried to be a hermit. She’s incredible!
What an absolutely amazing book, I can not wait to read it, what an awesome opportunity, thanks!
Right now I have a few friends that really pour into me, they encourage me, they challenge me, they inspire me and more importantly they see me as the me I can be in Christ, and that truly helps me as I seek Him each and every day!
xoxo,
Mel <3
My pastor and friend has made all the difference in my life simply because he saw me for who I could be and not just who I am. He has exemplified Christ in my life.
My mom is my biggest inspiration. She does so much for others. Always giving anyone a home who needs it while taking care of a man with ALS for 9 years! She has earned her wings.
A new friend and old acquaintance is making a difference in my life right now. She is a missionary, and lives a hard life in Africa. She gives 100% of herself to the least of these, and is such an inspiration to me. I have the deepest respect and awe for what she is doing. God is shining through her and smiling on the people she interacts with. I pray everyday that I can treat the people I meet with the pure joy that I see in her.
My teaching colleagues are making a difference in my life. They encourage me to see GOD at work all around, they encourage me to pray and they spur me on to love and good works. I’m thankful.
[…] Looking Suffering In The Face […]
An elderly neighbor is making a big impact on my family. She is a ‘training’ me and my girls as an older woman. She is giving her time to talk and give advice. She teaches my girls how to sew. My boys help her with yard work but they are also learning the joy of helping others. She is just a true blessing!!
My parents are making a difference in my life. With a husband whose job requires him to travel part of the week it’s been hard as a working mom to keep it all together. I am so thankful that my parents although a four hour drive down the road…are able to help out so much.
My husband is currently making the biggest difference in my life–as I go thru a physically rough season, he’s been so unselfish and caring with me and our boys. It makes me inspired to go beyond how I feel to serve others as he is serving me.
I cannot pin down one just person who inspires me above all others. I have many people in my life who inspire different things within me… I am blessed!!
My hubby is making the biggest difference in my life and always has. He has been through a lot, yet he remains my rock and my spiritual mentor. He was the one that ‘stopped at the gate’ and took the time to see me for who I was, the hurts, pains, fears, tears–everything. He was one of the people that told me about Jesus’ desire to have a personal, intimate relationship with me and my life has never been the same since. I am truly, richly blessed! Great post and giveaway!
Wow! I have such a great support staff right now! My husband is just a man of great character, I learn so much by just being around him! My girlfriends are so great with holding me accountable, I’m so grateful for all of them!
My husband has made such a difference in my life…by loving me and standing by me and showing me the closest thing I’ll see on Earth to unconditional love.
My precious mother is making a huge difference in my life right now. My dad had a long battle with cancer and went home to his Heavenly Father 5/22/10. Their 60th wedding anniversary would have been 16 days later. Her patience, strength and grace during his illness and the 16 weeks since his death continue to inspire me. The last 3 weeks, her 95-year-old sister (her only remaining sibling) has been hospitalized and, once again, my mother has put aside her grief and pain to be the primary care-giver, spending countless hours in my aunt’s room insuring that she gets the best care possible. My mother embodies selfless love!
My children have made an amazing difference in my life. God has worked through them – to make me and mold me into the woman, mother, and wife He wants me to be. 😀
As always, encouraging words to look beyond our own comfort zones. Thank you for leading by example.
My 2.5 yr old twin girls inspire me every day. They remind me to laugh, to be silly, to notice all the little things, that even when we get mad we love and no matter what, I always have more love.
And Dr. Laura inspires me to be strong, do the right thing and be my husband’s girlfriend!
I have a very good friend as well as my family who have been by my side as I continue to bring myself out of clinical depression that I have suffered with for approx. ten years.
My husband and I have separated and are divorcing, our house has been repossed, my son has been told it is my fault that we lost the house. But, through all of this GOD has shown me what a good person that I am and how I help others when they need me.
If it wasn’t for my Father in Heaven, my family, and my best friend, I might not be here right now.
Thank you Jesus for showing me how much you love me!
I have a wonderful mentor who is making a difference in my life. We are currently discussing contentment and what that REALLY means. I’m so thankful for her.
My husband is making a difference in my life by showing me unconditional love.
My dear friend has made a difference in my life as a P31 woman, walking alongside me in faith, mentoring and inspiring me. Thank you Max and InCourage for your super encouraging ministries!
Someone who is making a difference in my life is my friend, Dez. I’ve seen the Lord begin to call her and husband to something different then the normal American life the past year. She was asked to go to Haiti as a surgical technician and began her first trip overseas. It moved her. She just left my place in South Africa last week as she came with my church to minister in the school I started. He cracked her for good while she was here. Oooo what a joy knowing she isn’t the same. As it hurts knowing she now feels the pull of what to do and where to go next I’m SO thrilled she is going somewhere and making a difference. She is changing me by her vulnerable open-ness to Jesus and whats next and writing about it here: http://apencilingodshand.blogspot.com/
My sons make a difference in my life. They show me the world through a different set of eyes each day. Eyes that are filled with awe, compassion, curiousity and unconditional love.
My mother, sisters, and church family have been wonderful encouragers and blessings from above as my family has been enduring many dark days of seeing our oldest go to prison and now my husband leaving. I could not bear these burdens alone, and the Lord has graciously provided through His people aid to carry these heavy burdens.
“Someones” is who is making a difference in my life: I am in a lonely place, a strip of wilderness with problems that keep repeating or just haven’t ever gone away. My cross to bear. I followed the Lord to this place, I led a small group of women, most 10 years younger than me or so, for the last 3 years and struggle to see the tiniest bud of love for Christ within them. Some have stopped communicating with me altogether, though I have reached out continually-I have come to the place of release and acceptance, God is sovereign and I am finding “someones” to fellowship with everyday- The someones who Blog, who inspire and who share from their hearts what is really going on. Thank you to the “Someones” who Blog! God is using you everyday.
It’s hard to say 1 person… but my family is impacting my life.
My children are making a difference in my life–shaping me, teaching me and helping me to become better. I am grateful!
My parents make the big difference in my life. They taught me at a very young age that Jesus is the only way. And still to this day, they are “running the race”…always faithful…always caring and compassionate…always giving. How I thank my Savior for them!
Debbie
There is a couple at church who have adopted me as their daughter/granddaughter – their love for me is making a difference in my life.
My sister, Janet, has always set the example for me – her gentle and loving ways reflect God’s love everyday. A month ago she called me to tell me she was watching her house burn down to the ground – but that everything was ok because she and her husband and their dogs escaped harm. She has continually given thanks to God for His blessings throughout the whole ordeal – and has not complained about the fact that basically everything was lost in the fire. Every time we talk she reflects on how everything else was just “things” and that everything that was important to her – that could not be replaced – was still there. Her faith and thanksgiving are a life lesson – her faith shines brighter than any fire.
My son is making a difference in my life. He is 7 and has been challenging to parent since 18 months…I’m sure that most of us have a child like this. But, if I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t have many reasons to stay on my face before God every day to know His Presence, His Comfort, and His Guidance.
My daughter and her husband are making a difference in my life.
My husband had to go on Disability many years ago which often makes day to day living a challenge financially.
Each year, my daughter’s family pays for us to either meet them somewhere for a vacation or they pay for us to travel the 1,000 miles to visit them and our grandchildren. They pay for all of our trip from food to lodging on the way to gasoline… even getting our car fixed to make the trip.
They act like we are doing them a favor instead of giving us a week of enjoyment (not to mention seeing our grandchildren). 🙂
My daughter is making and has always made a huge difference in my life. Of course because she was my first child, but now that she is 25 and a lovely young woman following Christ, I see the truth in the statement that God gives you the children YOU need! She has opened my eyes to worlds beyond my narrow mind and experience. Her boldness, her courage, her strength, compassion and most of all her authenticity are a challenge and inspiration to me to live my life for REAL and for Christ, what truly matters.
I had to stop and think long and hard on the simple question “Who has made a difference in your life?” I would have to say my unsaved husband. God has used this man, a lost man. To show me my innerself…ugly and broken. To teach and to train me in the paths of righteousness… and how easy it is to stumble. How to keep me on my knees and hand over everything to Jesus. How to love like Jesus… even if only glimpses at a time. YES, my husband is the one God has and is using to make the most difference in my life.
SHAWN
Christ Community Church in Conway, SC is making a huge difference in my life. I was weary of going through the motions of attending church, singing, sitting and leaving where it did not stay with me all week as it should have. I started attending CCC about 4 years ago. Our purpose is “Love in action’ and they are truly a church that gives it’s heart and soul, talent, time, and money to God. Pastor Phillip Miles and wife Lynn are inspirations to us all. My life has improved greatly since I began working for God. Please visit the church web site at http://www.christcommunitychurchonline.com
The administrators of my homeschool group, Patricia and Pam. They can’t know how much they encourage me as a mother, teacher of my children, and as an individual. They give, give, give and don’t stop giving to everyone they know. They will truly have mansions in heaven.
I have been seeing a Christian therapist weekly for 2 years now. She has walked with me through trenches of pain I wasn’t even aware of. She has encouraged me and continuously led me to the feet of Jesus asking me hard questions, placing these in my lap for examination. She is helping me see who I really am, who God made me, who God really is and how He sees me. I truly will never know, this side of heaven, all this woman has done for me or how she has stepped in the gap for me. No single person has ever had the influence in my life as this woman. This woman who has been God’s voice to me in powerful ways these past two years. Grateful doesn’t begin to describe my heart.
A special friend is making a difference in my life….she is challenging me in my walk with the Lord and creating a hunger in me to do things fro God that I never thought I could do….what a blessing she is!
There is a group of women that I am blessed to be a part of we call ourselves the Healing Waters Good Morning Girls or GMG’s and each one of these ladies makes a difference in my life every day as she opens herself up with authenticity and vulnerability sharing what God is showing her in her quiet time and how she puts feet to pavement to really live this thing we call a Christ-following life out. Each one is amazing and each one a blessing from God.
My husband is making a difference. His faithful service to our family, his deep love for us, and his willingness to reach out to others is a beautiful reminder to me of how I need to continually lay myself down for others.
The people who are making the most difference in my life are the bloggers who have been traveling with Compassion International and blogging about it. Kristen, from We Are THAT Family, started the process and the four who just got back from Guatemala keep it going! They’ve really made me look at my life and what I’m doing and who I am reaching out too.
Aleksija at ymail dot com
My family is making a difference in my life. My dad has Alzheimer’s and my sister has cancer. I have been back “home” for 3 years now and my main mission is to help my mom minister to them. This keeps the focus off of me-even though I admit to my pity parties. They all bless me in many ways and my husband, daughter and son bless me in that they are not jealous of the time that is needed to care for these needs.
My husband has made the biggest difference in my life. His example is wonderful for me!
Then my children . . . they are so full of lessons for their Mama!
My dad, standing by his bride through decades of illness and disability and making a joyful life from it despite losing his companion little by little (while acknowledging the real emotions of it). “Maybe sometimes we need to ask ‘How would Jesus feel?’ instead of ‘What would Jesus do?'” Thanks, Dad!
My mom and dad are making a difference. My 6 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with a fatal illness, and they are showing me what it means to be faithful to God and to family, and how we will get through this together.
[…] Looking Suffering In The Face […]
A childhood friend of mine is making a difference in my life ..by the way she is handling her illness. She was diagnosed with cancer this year and fought so courageously. She sent out “reports” to friends that were full of inspiratiion. She is in remission at this time although recovering from a fall that put her down a few weeks. She has truly been a blessing through her testimony!
My sweet friend Joanna Choate makes a difference in my life. She and I both serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators. I work in Papua New Guinea and she in the Solomon Islands. We serve our husbands, our 4 children and the people around us in difficult situations. She, however, inspires me so much by the courage, grace, and honesty she displays as she learns a new language and life in a vastly different culture than ours, moves in and out of their village several times throughout the year, and still manages to create a lovely home atmosphere for her family. As we have taken these “baby steps” together, (as the Lord seems to know that giant leaps are a little too overwhelming for us both) she has been one of my constant sources of encouragement and inspiration.
Thank you so much for this message…I needed to read it today.
My husband continues to make a difference in my life. He is full of patience, kindness and generosity and loves me when I am full of the opposite.
I love that he’s giving the royalties to World Vision. Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway. The person who’s making the biggest difference in my life right now is my son. He’s ten months old. There’s no better way to grow as a person than to have a kid.
My mentor and friend Mary Ann is making a huge difference in my life. I had always had a belief in God, but I have always felt like I just never prayed “right”. She has blessed me with her friendship, said prayers with me and for me and offered biblical passages and Christian books to read as well. I am truly blessed as I now feel a communication with God now like none other. I am so grateful the Lord blessed me with placing Mary Ann in my life at the right time!
I’m a nurse, and most every day I meet a patient or family who inspires me and makes a difference in my life Whether it was the family who chose to take their mom home and care for her until she passed, or the patient with a chronic illness who is so gracious when she could be bitter…these people remind me that my small gestures can make a difference in other patients’ lives.
My wife has made a big difference in my life. I did not have a personal relationship with Christ before I met my wife and it is only after I married her that I started building a personal relationship with God and I’ve never looked back ever since. Her deep relationship with the Lord acted as a beacon that lit my way to find Jesus. I am a changed person from within and I truly feel that the Holy Spirit has started filling my sails to help me on with this journey called ‘Life’.
My wife and I are not spotless and we do have our individual shortcomings and our relationship does go through ups and downs but the one constant factor in our lives is God and our unending faith in Jesus Christ. We make it a point to prayerfully commit our worries, anxieties, fears, trials and tribulations to the good Lord and we are always certain that He will come good and stay true to His promises. He is the Rock on which our marriage sits and we live each day in faith that no storm of Satan can ever wash our relationship away.
Beautiful. And so true, even for this American mom who longs to do something and isn’t sure just how. Someone who has made a difference in my life? Ann Voskamp, who recently went to Guatemala with Compassion. Her stories and recounts gripped my heart in a powerful way. She writes about the sacred ordinary and encourages me toward a life of gratitude, of seeing all things in light of the Cross.
My Grandmother is my inspiration. She Praises God no matter WHAT the circumstance. She prays about everything. She is my amazing example.
My daughters are such an encouragement and example for me as we walk with Jesus. They are great mothers and Jesus is a real part of their days as they bring their little ones to HIm. Thanks for sharing this great author’s work.
What if God’s agenda superceeded my agenda in all things?
What a different person I would be.
Thank you for reminding me.
Susan
So many people are making a difference in my life right now! My dear friends and family who don’t shy away from the pain and grief in this season of my life. They sit with me, cry and laugh (sometimes in the same breath!), and love big on me. All of them say they don’t know what to do but their actions speak differently: they walk beside me and don’t look away.
I work as a nurse. In these times of diminishing resources nurses are being asked to pick up more responsibilities, more patients and more hours. This is exhausting! Recently, we hired a new graduate nurse who is a shining light in a very dark work environment. Abi Schaeffer works her heart out cheerfully. Volunteers to help when not busy. She can feel others’ needs and comes alongside them with genuine compassion. Abi has changed the way I feel about going to work. This makes a big difference in my life. God bless you, Abi!
My dear friend Pam is a true woman of God. She not only has made a huge difference in my life through prayer and encouragement, she gives of her time and love to people daily. When I watch her pray over someone that she encounters that is in need, I am moved by God’s love pouring from her. It doesn’t matter where she is, in the grocery store or the park or the church, she can see the hurt in someone and will boldly ask them if she can pray with them. She is my inspiration to walk boldly in my faith and to help others.
My neighbour is making a difference to my life with her kind words, mirroring back to me the truth when I am tempted to believe lies. Heavy with my fourth child, in a season of change beyond words, and away from all familiar, her kind words of gentleness and experience lighten my moments.
First thought that came to mind was “the Holy Spirit.” Without Him continually guiding, leading, comforting, encouraging, forgiving, strengthening, healing, protecting, providing, and the blessings go on and on, I would not make it…
My mom is making a difference in my life. She pours her entire self into other people every single day in order to bring glory and honor to God. She takes care of her dying daughter in law, her mother until she died last month, and is a hospice nurse on top of that. She is always full of love and comfort and every single time I’m with her, she inspires me to be a better person.
My daughter Holly is 5 (she’s #3 of 5 children). She inspires me with her complete sweetness, total self-giving, and quick compliments. I hope to be just like her when I grow up!
My friend, Gretchyn, is making a difference in my life. She has committed to pray for me everyday until a HUGE writing project is complete. Her covering is the sweetest of gifts.
My pastor’s wife who is also a pastor herself is making a huge difference in my life and those of the women in our church. She has taught me the power of forgiveness and healing as part of the Comfort Group she started at church for the ladies. No matter when I need to talk she always has time to talk. The reason that she is so amazing is that she took what God meant for destruction and used it for good. Just a few months ago she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and went for surgery. When she came out of surgery, the cancer was gone. She has since used her courage and passion for the women of our church and the teen moms she works with on a daily basis. She takes her message for teen moms and teen girls into public school here, and the principal allows it and the parents encourage it. I love her like she is my own mom. She is inspiring me in my walk everyday and encouraging me at the same time.
My Pastor,Priest and wonderful friend. He lives his life with joy and reverence, showing me how to be patient in looking for answers and to be present to the blessing of the everyday.He gives %110 to his congregation and always has time for a hug, and conversation.He is light and love of Christ .
For many years I prayed for a mentor who could guide me deeper into the Word.
Was I surprised when God answered that prayer with David, a Bible scholar in Scotland! (I am in Oregon.)
How thankful I am for cyberspace. Although we’ve never met face-to-face, we e-mail daily. He encourages me & challenges me to study. I am truly blessed through this man of God.
One person who is making a difference in my life is no longer living on this earth; it is Corrie ten Boom. Her incredible faith during times of such devastation and hardship (to put it lightly) inspire me, encourage me, convict me, motivate me… to step up, to press in, to push through, to really live the life that God has offered me through Jesus!
My friend, who listens…really listens to me and encourages me. She brings me closer to my heavenly Father.
Someone who is making a difference in my life today? I would have to say my mother as she has moved all the way to Alabama from South Texas to help me with my two young children while my husband completes his surgical residency. Selflessly doing my laundry, changing dirty diapers, making lunch, and taking the kiddos for a few hours each Thursday has made a real difference in our home during this stressful time.
Several friends from church have made a HUGE impact on my life in the last several years. Through one friend’s bold love, God showed me my sin of resentment and bitterness and called me to repentance – a daily repentance! Another friend and I call each other to pray for each other, especially as we desire to be much more godly wives to our husbands – so challenging & encouraging. I’m so thankful for these and others who have been vulnerable enough to be real with me and see how we all struggle in this battle of life – and how we can edify each other, point to Jesus, and SPEAK THE TRUTH OUT LOUD for each other, when we are falling….
The youth in my church are making a difference in my life. After hearing a talk about making an impact in this world, they decided to give $1.00 each monthly so that the youth group can sponsor a child through Compassion International. Other youth want to write letters to sponsored children. Such a response and the message of this post lead me to a greater dimension of compassion and a place in which to serve with heart.
My 81 year old Dad is an inspiration to me. He has had many, many health issues over the last 31 years but no matter what he has never ever given up. No matter what happens or what hand he has been dealt, he always trusts God. My Dad makes a difference in my life by the strength of Godly character he has always shown. My Dad is vibrant and full of life even though his physical body has left him very weak. He lives in VA and I live in TX so I talk to him daily. I can always hear the smile in his voice. My Dad is a man of strength, courage, and honor and I am so thankful to have his example.
My best friend is an amazing woman of God….lives with a dibilitating neuromuscular disease called Ataxia..but instead of complaining or wondering “why me” she knows God has a special plan for her and lives her life to glorify Him! My 4th child…and first daughter is due in late December and will proudly bear her “auntie’s” name…Karlena. I couldn’t be more blessed!
Teske, the leader of our Mommies with Hope group is making a difference in my life. I recently lost my third baby and have really been struggling- but to hear or read her encouraging words and to see her faith lived out, even though she too lost 3 precious babies gives me so much hope! I’m thankful for how she’s allowing God to use her!
My parents make a difference for me and for so many. They have spent their lives in Pakistan giving and giving. Today they left to go back there for a month and give some more.
Who is making a difference in my life?
Actually, I am in a season right now where no one is making a significant difference in my life. Nothing besides the ordinary day-to-day stuff.
Instead, it has been a season of being blessed with many opportunitites to make a difference in the lives of others through the sharing of my resources and developing mentoring relationships. So, being able to bless others is what is making a significant difference in my life right now. 🙂
Amy
http://worshipwhileiwait.blogspot.com
“Yet what if we could? What if our attention could reduce someone’s pain?”
I can answer this all to well, and YES you can, and your attention can reduce someone’s pain. My son (Jayce) makes a difference in my life. To the world he is a strange boy who doesn’t speak, and to me he is a miracle who has changed my life. He has taught me more in 8 years than I have learned in my fourty. I Thank God for all those who take the time to listen, and make a differnce in my son’s life.