Defining Moments

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Here we are again at the start of a brand new year. Not only that but it is a start of a brand new decade. It seems really hard to believe that ten years have gone by that quickly. We started the decade worrying about the Y2K crisis. We saw 9/11 occur which impacted our lives in so many ways especially in the way we travel.We have watched an idea called Facebook grow and change the way we network and communicate.  Finally we have ended this decade going thorough one of the worst recessions in our lifetime. If you take a moment and sit down and reflect we all have been touched in one way or another by these defining moments. These are events that at the time we may not realize it but they are impacting us in ways that will change our lives and touch us in important ways.

Let me share with you personally how those three events have touched and changed me as a case in point. Travelling prior to 9/11 was easy. I used to work a job that required travelling. I could easily breeze through airports with no worries with what I was carrying or the time needed to get from one gate to another. Can I say that now? Facebook is now a major player in my life. I never used a MySpace or a blog but several years ago I began to Facebook (see even the terminology has changed), it has allowed me to connect with others in a ministry in a whole new way. Farmville aside it has proved to be a great ministry tool in connecting sponsors to children. The recession obviously caused me to be laid off for a period of four months and to find a lesser paying job (I'm still grateful though) and of course our investments became devalued. Each of these touched me in ways that I never anticipated.

The Bible itself is filled with defining moments. Adam biting the apple, David lusting after Bathsheba, Peter following Jesus, and Paul travelling to Damascus. Each of these were everyday type of occurrences that would then become a defining moment and change them and history. Human history has been changed by all these events even to today. I am sure each of us can point to one special moment in our lives that changed us (for better or worse) and has impacted us in a major way.

Those that know me and my ministry with Compassion understand that the biggest defining moment in my life was in March of 2007 when I met my sponsored child Linda. She impacted me in a way that has defined my ministry and outlook in ways I never thought possible. My focus now is on "releasing the least of these from poverty in Jesus' name". I spend most of my non-working life in this endeavor for His glory.

As we entered into this new year and new decade I am sure many of us made resolutions. Some will be kept but many will be quickly given up or forgotten. That is just human nature. (I am planning on losing 35 pounds so we will see how that works out in the next few months). However as we go into 2011 I encourage you to find a "defining moment" this year. Of course it can never be planned, it will just happen out of a choice we make. However I can encourage you to grow closer to God this year. Let Him be your defining moment and let Him help you discover something special. You can grow deeper in his Word, you can join a new small group, you can discover a new ministry.  I do guarantee you that if you let God shape and define you this year you will encounter something incredible.

Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 17 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.