This is not my story to tell. Or maybe it is, because it needs to be shared.
This story was heard while listening to Pastor Caesar preach. As I understand it, Caesar was born to underprivileged non-hearing parents. He struggled in school and was considered special needs. I don’t know the details but later in his difficult childhood, Caesar was mentored/adopted by a dentist named Dr. Luckett who took him under his wing.
Dr. Luckett was a Christian man so he took Caesar to his church where he was told Caesar was not welcomed because he was black. Dr. Luckett could have left Caesar at home, he could have dropped Caesar off at a black church, or he could have quit going to church because they were hypocrites. But what he did changed lives forever. He left that church and found one that would accept Caesar. Under Dr. Luckett’s guidance, Caesar played college and pro football, graduated from college and gave his life to spreading the gospel. He is currently a chaplain at Methodist Hospital in Dallas and an associate pastor in charge of the Celebrate Recovery program at our church. The lives he has touched all can be traced back to one decision by one man who made the right choice.
Unexpectedly at any moment we could have to make a life changing decision like that. Or maybe we make them all day long. We choose our words, our likes and interactions on social media and our actions in real life. Which one will be a pivotal point in the life of someone else? I don’t think we will know until we get to Glory. Most of these decisions will be forgotten and not even mentioned at our funeral. Yet each decision we make, no matter how insignificant, makes ripples that go out to affect those around us. We are woven into the fabric of humanity and any action can change hundreds of decisions made around us.
I believe what determines my choices is my preparation. I didn’t know Dr. Luckett but he probably was not blindsided with a desire to do the right thing in a life of chasing his own selfish pursuits. He probably had developed a habit of listening and responding to God throughout his life. So if I am prepared, when the small or large decisions happen, my response will be what God would have it be. This is like when the soil is prepared for a crop. The farmer cannot control the weather but he can weed and till the soil and plant the seeds. My part is to prepare it for the best yield.
Did I pursue Christ that day? Was I grateful to God? Did I humble myself before him in prayer? Did I listen and look for God’s intervention in my day? This is simple stuff, not rocket science. And that is Good News. There is so much that I can’t control and I am often tempted to wring my hands obsessing over this lack of control. But I must remember that God’s powerful hands control the results of my decisions.
Like the decision of Dr. Luckett, in God’s hands, our tiny ripples can become a tsunami. It is a story of a small decision that made a world of difference. I believe we as Christians need to be reminded of our mission and how important it is that we make the decisions which may go against the flow of those around us, yet are the right thing to do. Decisions that we make can be forgotten in an instant but the ripples that go out from it will continue on in ways we cannot fathom.