Remote-controlled ABF truck gifted by Doug
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”- C. S. Lewis, Collected Letters
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”- 1 Corinthians 13:12, New Living Translation
Over a decade ago, my wife Vicki led a bus tour in the American Southwest. From the tour’s base in Amarillo, Texas, we traveled through parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico. I sat with Vicki right behind our bus driver, Doug.
During desolate stretches of our journey, I shared my teaching ministry with Doug. When the week-long tour ended, Doug agreed to be my Southwest correspondent. For the next few years, Doug periodically sent postcards highlighting his travels, even as he transitioned to driving a semi for ABF Freight.
Yet, Doug’s mission extended beyond writing postcards. With each mailing, Doug sent a letter encouraging the children in their studies and, most importantly, their growing faith in Jesus.
Doug embraced the opportunity to share his faith with my students. Furthermore, his actions often witnessed to Vicki and me on the tour. Long distance driving strains the best of marriages. Having experienced the brokenness of divorce, Doug expressed his love for his wife with a daily phone call.
Therefore, the little things we do indeed make a big difference, even if we’re unaware of their impact on others. In Chase the Lion, Mark Batterson expands this idea:
“Even when you feel as if you aren’t making a difference, God might be using you in ways you aren’t aware of. And it’s not the immediate impact that matters most; it’s the exponential impact.”
As a result, Mark notes, your destiny often shows up unannounced. Hence, your destiny discovers you, revealing itself on snowy days when crossing paths with five-hundred-pound lions. In addition, your brokenness may be an unexpected source of strength. Writing in The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp notes there’s brokenness that:
- isn’t about blame
- makes a canvas for God’s light
- makes windows straight into souls
Consequently, when you experience brokenness, the power of God can happen in your soul. In the process, Ann exhorts, a greater life rises from the dark. Also, Pastor Batterson amplifies a connection with faithfulness, defining it as “taking back enemy territory by shining light in dark places.
Push back the kingdom of darkness by highlighting stories of God’s goodness and grace. As Paul Manz’s choral work “E’en So” tells us, there are far, far better things ahead:
“E’en so Lord Jesus quickly come/ And night shall be no more/ They need no light, no lamp, nor sun/ For Christ will be their All!”
