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By Pete Hyde

This month is the celebration of Martin Luther Ling’s Birthday.  Banks, government offices, schools, and many churches will be closed for the holiday.  There will be parades, marches, and speeches from Washington, D.C. to the smallest towns in the country.  We will remember the impact of this young man.  No, not all agreed with his positions, methods, and politics.  Many in my father’s generation had little use for Martin Luther King.  My father’s learned prejudice kept him from seeing any good that could come from a black minister who stood on his beliefs and sought to change the status quo and the direction of American society.  Martin Luther King “had a dream.”  He understood the calling that was placed on his life to make a difference.  He died trying to fulfill that call.  I am sure my faithful readers will differ on the impact MLK made.  But I am also sure that everyone can agree that he made an impact.  His dream and witness changed this country.

I speak, teach, and write a lot about making an impact.  When I see the impact a famous person makes on society, whether for good or for bad, I almost always reflect on the impact I am making.  Will I ever be famous?  No!  Will I make a difference?  I hope so!!

Ask yourself the same questions?  Will you be famous?  Maybe some of you are or were, but most of us will not be.  Will you make a difference?  Yes!! Each of us will.  The life you live will make a difference for better or for worse in the lives of those with whom you have a relationship and the lives of those whom you see even just in passing each and every day.  Will they see in you a sense of calling from the Master?  Will they see a life reconciled between what you say and what you say you believe, with the way you live?

You see, God calls each of us to impact the world in which we live, no matter how large or small.  He calls us to His service, to be His witnesses, yes, even to the ends of the earth, but also to our spouses, children and extended families.  He calls to be His witnesses to the cashier at the convenience store, to those in recovery, to those who struggle to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families, to those with whom we disagree, to those who live a lifestyle that is outside the boundaries of our beliefs, to those who disagree with us religiously, theologically and politically.

Yes, we all have good days and bad.   Our impact and witness are better some days than others.  But are we striving to change the world one witness at a time to the best of our ability?  If so, we are making an impact, the result of which we may never see.  So here’s to trying our best to impact our small circles of influence with the loving witness of what God has done in our lives.

Will you be famous?  Probably not.  Will you make a difference in someone’s life?  Most certainly!!  What kind of witness will it be?  What kind of impact will you make?

Rev. Pete Hyde serves as chaplain with the South Walton Fire District

The post A Pastor’s Ponderings: Impact appeared first on South Walton Life | 30A News, Events and Community Information.

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South Walton Life | 30A News, Events and Community Information