A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” A professor was invited to speak at a military base and was met at the airport by a soldier named Ralph, who was assigned to escort him back to the base. As they headed toward the baggage claim area, Ralph kept disappearing—once to help an older woman with her suitcase, once to lift two toddlers so they could see the airplanes out of the terminal windows, once to give a lost traveler some much needed directions. It seemed every step the two men took, Ralph was lending a helping hand to people that he did not know. The professor asked him, “Where did you learn to live like that?” Ralph said, “During the war.” He had served in combat. His job was to clear minefields, and each day he saw friends die suddenly, one after another, before his eyes. He said, “I never knew whether the next step I took would be my last, so I learned to live between steps.” As each day goes by, we are consumed in this busy age with a multitude of tasks that compete for our time and energies. Yet we miss the golden opportunities that lie before us with each new day. Somewhere between the scheduled activities; somewhere between the meetings, phone calls, e-mails, projects, deadlines, school activities, and a thousand other obligations, there are missed opportunities to impact the lives of others. We must, as Ralph said, learn “to live between steps.” A kind word, a helping hand, a compassionate shoulder, a well-placed financial blessing, a smile, or some other responsive act can make a difference in a person’s day or even their life. Today, monitor the opportunities you have between your daily activities. It is amazing the number of lives each of us can touch between our appointments, or as we are en route to scheduled engagements. Let us learn the art of living between steps. The impact we can have to those to whom we serve can be immeasurable and fulfilling and can better redeem the time we have been given by the Lord to live to the fullest each new day.