"One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank
Nor what my clothes looked like.
One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of school I attended,
What kind of typewriter I used,
How large or small my church,
But the world may be …
a little better because…
I was important in the life of a child."
~Forest Witcraft, "Within My Power"
Both my sons had the same second grade teacher.He had this poem hanging above his desk. He was an amazing man who began every school year by teaching the children to sing "It’s a Wonderful World" along with Louis Armstrong. He believed completely in the innate goodness and potential of each child regardless of what may have come before in their lives or how they behaved on any given day. He was funny, inspiring, clear in his expectations and seemed to genuinely love each child for who they were. Like anyone in the teaching profession, I am sure he had his days when he was exhausted, frustrated, even depressed. Like all teachers he was not paid nearly enough for his long hours and incredible dedication. But he was in the business of making an investment…..in lives, in futures, in hope.
Many people are thinking these days about their investments. The stock market and the economy do not bring much promise of yielding any shining dividends. As has always been the case, these are investments known to be a roller coaster ride. We give over our money and trust in organizations and people we don’t know and maybe wouldn’t trust if we met them. But we agree to be a part of the game so our earthly treasures might have the opportunity to grow in some way.
Last night I was present at a party to celebrate our youth director who is leaving our church to be in ministry in North Carolina. The room was filled with parents, youth and young adults, all who had in some way been touched by this woman who has given hours upon hours of investment. There was laughter and tears, story upon story of mission trips and retreats, in-jokes and knowing looks. The room was filled with life….and lives….changed by one person who has chosen to put her life of faith to work in the world.
It is the kind of investment that no one can really measure. The NASDAQ or Dow don’t have a meter for this kind of time, energy,and commitment that builds up over time and flows out in unexpected acts of love, justice and compassion in places unknown and unreported. But it happens every day. We have all been touched by those people…parents, teachers, mentors…..who decided to believe in us and help us believe in ourselves. This is the real reward of investment.
On this Monday, a rather gloomy one here in Minnesota, it might be a good time to reflect on those people who made an investment in our lives. We all might want to call up those folks, or write them a note or email, or send a blessing their way. Each of us got up this morning filled with other people’s investments in us. Maybe it’s time to let them know how their stock in doing.
It truly is ‘A Wonderful World.’