During my travels this week, I came across a young man who was in a really bad place. His biggest worry was he was going to miss his chance to "make a difference" in life. I don't know about you but I can completely relate to this. Everyone wants to be remembered and wants to build/write/give/do something that will outlive their few years on this planet. The problem is we don't usually get to write our legacy and choose how we will be remembered. Other people will do that after we are gone. It's also impossible to know what we will be remembered for because we cannot see what our greatest impact will be.
This reminds me of a guy named Ed Kimball. Have you ever heard of him? Chance are you haven't. He lived in the 1800s. His name has been lost to history which is a shame. Ed was a local church Sunday school teacher who was also struggling with the idea that his life had no meaning and he would die without making a difference. One day he went into a shoe store and started talking with a young shoe clerk. As they talked, Ed shared the Gospel with this young man and led him to Christ.
Ed didn't realize it, but that moment would change the course of history in the United States. That young man was D.L. Moody and would go on to become one of the most important men of the 1800s. Moody is considered the greatest evangelist of the 1800s and he preached the Gospel all over the world. He started colleges, churches, and so much more. At the Chicago World’s Exhibition in 1893, in a single day, over 130,000 people attended evangelistic meetings coordinated by Moody. Below are some links to continue learning about this young shoe clerk and his impact on the world.
You may not know Ed Kimball's name, but his willingness to do the best he could with what he had became more than he could have imagined. You may never know on this side of eternity what impact you are making. Trust the Lord and realize that God only needs us to be faithful. He will do the rest.
https://www.gotquestions.org/D-L-Moody.html
