The Topic for Today? I suppose it should be Death.

The topic of Death has found its way to me three times in three days, in three very different ways. It must be discussed.

One ...
I am studying the book of Esther in a Bible Study by Beth Moore.
Two days ago, Beth talked about Esther choosing between the possibility of her own death or the probability of her death along with all of her fellow Jews. Esther faced her fear and said, "If I perish, I perish." Beth concluded her discourse on the fear of dying by telling us all to have the courage, and the trust of faith, to die well ... to leave behind an potent example of how to leave behind life on this planet. 

Two ...
Gary and I went on the Auto Tour of the Gettyburg battlefields yesterday. Of course, the topic of death was evident in Gettyburg ... over 50,000 casualties in three days. As we walked through the cemetery where many more recent vets have also been buried, we noticed a grave marker indicating that the young man buried there had received the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor given for "personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty." Despite whatever amazing act this man did, he still ended up in this cemetery. Gary poignantly reminded me that this man's act of valor more than likely saved other men from suffering the same fate ... at least for a while. 

All this made me ponder the impact of a life. Esther's life, unlike most of ours, saved millions of Jews and still touches billions more with every reading of the Bible. The men who died in Gettyburg, as a whole, touched the lives of millions as well ... by the freedom they bought with their lives and the example they remain today to the 3 million or so visitors who travel to Gettyburg each year and the countless others who study the war in history class. 

And here I sit, in Lititz, PA, well aware of the fact that I will not save millions of people or change the course of history. And that's okay. Is it okay to just leave a small footprint on this planet? One life. One chance. 

Three ...
On Facebook today, one of my neighbors posted this quote:
       "God reveals himself in the mundane events of every day life.
       What if He didn't call you to be extraordinary, but to be ordinary and obedient?"
I am okay with being both ordinary and obedient. But, I think God did call me to be extraordinary. I can say "hello." I can smile. I can make sweet cards for others to send to the people they love. I can wave to the neighbor. I can let the other car go in front of me. I can not honk the horn. I can donate money to help others. I can write this. 

This place. This time. This personality. This talent. This patience. This money. This message.
To quote Mordecai in Esther's story, "Who knows but that you have come ... for such a time as this?"