Time magazine recently released its top 100 most influential people of 2014. When I first saw this list I had two thoughts…
1). Does anyone who does anything influential between the release of the list and the end of the year ever get any attention. I’d imagine if anyone discovered the cure for cancer in the last weeks of December they would have to re do the list? right?
2). Who got number 1!?!? Who was the most influential person in the last year?
The list, as usual, was stacked with a very broad spectrum of people. Activists, sports professionals, scientists, religious pioneers, and government officials were all people who found themselves among this elite list of influential people. As my eye drew towards the end of the list my anticipation grew “Who was number one!”. Well… no one was actually. Well, no one individual anyway. The last name on the list read as followed…
“The Ebola Fighters”
And I had absolutely no argument.
I think since making this trip public one question I’ve gotten from everyone was “Why this”?
That’s a hard question to answer. Not because there’s any question in my head, but because its hard to make others hear the same spiritual calling you hear the Holy Spirit practically screaming to you. I’ve passed up on my fair share of opportunities to take the gospel to the world. If it wasn’t school it was money and if it wasn’t money it was something else. I was very good at making up excuses. We’ll I’m done doing that. Its time to answer the calling. Its time to be a Do’er of the word and not just a Hear’er of the word. Its time to follow God with reckless abandon and allow him to take me anywhere he wants and do anything he calls me to do. Its time to start taking Gods Word seriously.
The Ebola fighters were doing just that. They ran into danger full steam ahead. Ready to take on anything that may come their way. They trusted God and that was enough. They stopped listening to reasons why they were making a mistake. They stopped listening to what the world told them to do. And they started to listen to what God wanted them to do.
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30 Its that simple.
So I guess if you ask me “Why are you doing the world race?”
I’d have to say because I quit listening to everything else and that’s the only voice that was left.
With love and grace,
Steve
