Pastor's Blog

Filling a Stadium

I recently read a blog that caused me some pause as the writer suggested each Christian person will meet somewhere between sixty and eighty thousand people in their lifetime. The math is based on human contact with 2-3 different people per day over an 80-year lifespan. All of a sudden, the math makes sense. Now look at it this way. Jack Trice Stadium in Ames seats a little over 60,000 while Kinnick seats 70,000. At the end of a well-lived life, the people you’ve had interactions with will fill one of these venues. That includes the cashier at the convenience store, and the custodian cleaning the bathrooms at your school.

Let me add a little weight to this scenario. Imagine all these people gathered there and you are brought out and placed at the 50-yard line. What will be the impact of how you’ve lived your life? Will those sixty thousand plus people say you left their day and life better, or did your interactions with them cause grief and anxiety? My guess is that we’d hope they would all give us glowing reviews.

There are a lot of people trying to make sense and purpose out of life. They might even be looking for this validation by participating in actions which we disagree with. But no one is too far gone for us to demonstrate God’s Love. 1 John 4:7 reminds us that love is the Christ Followers DNA. God demonstrates His Love (Romans 5:8) and based on that act, we love Him and we are able to love others. For some of us, this is a continuation of what we’ve already done. For others, the call is for a radical change in how you see the thousands of people you will have influence on. Will you decide this year to show the love of God to those you have contact with? When you do, you’ll never regret it.

Pastor Dave

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