Do You Ever Wonder?

Have you ever wondered if you have made a differnce?  Have you spent time thinking back over your life and tried to find even one way you've made a difference in some small way?  Have you made someone else's life better, even in the smallest way?  If you ceased to exist, would it matter to anyone?  Would you leave any kind of a legacy or would anyone think of you and smile as they remembered the way you impacted their life? 

Maybe it's just that we celebrated Mothers Day, but I've been pondering these things.  I truly hope I'd be missed if I didn't wake up tomorrow, but would I be?  I hope my children have good memories of their mom.  Memories that make them smile and laugh.  And that my husband would smile, remembering the good times we've enjoyed over the past thirty years.  I hope they laugh, remembering how I always burn the pancakes because I get distracted by a song, or how I have never learned my right from left because I'm ambidextrous.  I hope they look at the things I've made and smile instead of just seeing clutter to be tossed away.  I truly hope they see a bit of me in themselves and in each other, and find comfort and maybe even   joy in those traits and characteristics.

What about those you considered friends?  Will they miss you or will they just miss what you do for them?  There is a big difference in those two things.  Have you truly impacted their lives and left your mark on their hearts?  In our disposable society, that's a harder question to answer.  It's easy to get lost or to just " make it thru" without leaving any lasting impact.  We help others, we try to meet their needs,  but does it really matter in the scheme of things?  Will anyone remember  you enough to actually miss you when you're gone?

I don't have the answers to any of these questions; I'm wondering about these things myself .  One thing I do know...it's not worth losing yourself just to try to fit in.  But, we are all wired with a deep desire to know our life mattered, that we made a good difference in some small way.  It doesn't mean we need to travel to third-world countries and dig wells, or sponsor a dozen children in other countries to be sure they get food and an education; it is just working to make our little patch of the world a better place for everyone that comes across our path.  Be kind, especially when you may feel like striking out.  Give your family your best, not just the crumbs leftover at the end of each day.   Seek ways to bring  joy to others.  But thru it all, don't lose who and what God created you to be, by falling into the pit others dig for you.  Know, even when it doesn't seem to be the case, that you and your life do matter and  that someone's world is better just because you were in it for awhile.  Leave your mark so others can see God's fingerprint in this crazy, messy world .