This is not about a financial story of how someone got rich because they made a small investment that yielded a large payout. It’s not about someone who took a risk and in return gained everything. This is truly a remarkable story because it’s about the intangible impact of one life that made the difference in many other lives. It’s about how one simple decision made an incredible difference.
I’m not sure how to begin the story because it actually happened before I was born. Remarkably, however, it made a significant difference on me as well as others. It’s the story of generosity but could have ended different.
I heard the story of when my family first started attending church. It was before I was born so to me it was like a fable. You know, one of those stories that could have been exaggerated or the facts could have been blown out of proportion. It’s like a fish story but each time it is told, the fish gets larger and larger. It started with, once upon a time.
A grew up in a large family. I was number 7 until my brother Mike came home from the Hospital. Our family was not wealthy, though my dad worked hard to care for our needs. We supplemented our income without jobs but each of us were expected to have including being custodians at a local Wesleyan Church. My older siblings were expected to carry out the task each week from about 1965, when I was just a baby. Our family had the responsibility of cleaning the church through the mid-90’s. As remarkable as that is, that is not the story!
Before our family was hired the church had to come up with the extra funds to pay us; so the alleged fable goes.
The minister of that day decided to take a risk. Even though it meant stretching the church budget, he hired our family to help us, make ends meet financially. Dr. Rev. Joppe was well known for having a great deal of faith. Having authored books and taught college courses, he practiced his faith in real time as a local pastor. It was because of that generosity that our family not only had our physical needs met but in reality, it connected us to the local church that remarkably changed our lives!
In the words of the famous storyteller and radio personality, Paul Harvey, "Here’s the rest of the story."
Only recently did I learn how truly remarkable and generous someone could be. while attending a special event in Florida, I came across a family connection and remarkable individual that gave me the full length version of the story. As I sat down with Ben, over a bowl of ice cream, I begin to reflect about my days growing up at the Monroe Wesleyan church. I know it one time he was a part of the church but what he told me that day, I will never forget!
Without skipping a beat Ben shared with me an incredible backstory. I watched as his eyes filled with tears! He simply stated, "I almost didn’t do it!"
Leaning in a little closer as Ben began to quietly tell me how embarrassed he was to tell me the rest of the story. He told me about how the pastor wanted to provide additional income for a large family that were new to the church. he told me how the pastor wanted to fund the additional need for paying our family the additional income we would receive. "It wasn’t much money, " he said, "but, I refused to do it." all these many years later I had no idea. Neither did I even think about where the money came from to pay a simple salary for the work we were doing at the church. Sometimes you just take things for granted I thought, as he shared his involvement in my life, even before I was born.
Ben continued, "The pastor needed someone to give an extra $25 a week to help support a custodial service." He told me that even though it wasn’t much money, at first he refused. With tears in his eyes he told me that the Lord convicted him that he ought to give the extra money. Looking me in my water-soaked eyes, he said, "Look at what my small investment did." He continued, "I often think about it. I almost said no to God and almost didn’t do it!"
In an instant and at that very moment, I realized that someone (and that someone was sitting right in front of me) made an investment in me and my family that have benefited ever since! Quietly and anonymously he responded to God and shared what he knew he could not keep, to make an eternal investment.
His words burn deep in my heart today, "I almost didn’t do it." I’m so glad that he invested something that I couldn’t earn. His investment is something I cannot pay back. He did this so that I could receive the incredible gift of eternal life!
For me, it’s convicting that every day I want to make sure that I can say yes to what the Lord is asking me to do. I wonder how many have said no and have missed out on the incredible opportunity to see their investment grow in the lives of others. Next time that the Lord prompts your heart to proceed, I hope that you, like me, can echo the words, "I almost didn’t do it!" Instead, you will celebrate because others will hear those incredible words echoed throughout all eternity, "Well done!"
