There’s an old story about a young man in London back in the 18 hundreds who wanted to be a writer, but it was like the world was conspiring against him. He was in and outta school. His father had been thrown into jail ‘cause he couldn’t pay his debts. This young boy finally got a job pasting labels on the bottles of glue in a rat infested warehouse.
Every night, he slept in a small attic along with two other kids in the slums of London. He wanted to be a writer, but he had so little confidence in his ability to write that he had to sneak out in the middle of the night to mail his first manuscripts to a publisher. He didn’t want anyone to know his dream so they wouldn’t have the opportunity to laugh at him.
He submitted story after story, but they were all turned down by the editors. Finally, a day came that one of his stories was accepted. He wasn’t paid anything for it, but this one editor had noticed him and praised his writing. He was so thrilled and excited that he walked around the streets of London with tears in his eyes.
That one positive word changed his entire life. That writer’s name was Charles Dickens. It’s amazing to me what a simple word of encouragement can do for someone. The Apostle Paul even says that it’s our duty to encourage one another and build each other up. You don’t have to be a millionaire. Or a philanthropist to change someone’s life.
You have the power to change someone’s entire world just by noticing them, by telling them that they’re worthwhile and special. When you choose to see someone’s gift, you’re seeing them through God’s eyes. This has been everyday miracles by hope, mindfulness, and prayer.
In the year 1818, a 26-year-old Catholic priest by the name of Joseph Moore was preparing for the Christmas Eve service at his church in the Austrian Alps. And while cleaning up the church in preparation, he found out that his organ had broken. This was not good. I mean, here’s this young guy that is probably new to this church.
If you’ve ever gone through art history class, you’re probably familiar with a painting called The Light of the World. It was painted by the British artist Holman Hunt, and hangs in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It’s one of the most iconic religious paintings in history. The painting depicts Jesus standing outside of a small, dilapidated cottage.
I was recently listening to the U2 album, all that you Can’t Leave Behind, and I came across a song called Grace. The lyrics say this, grace takes the blame, covers the shame, removes the stain, but once was hurt, but once was friction. What left a mark? No longer stings because grace makes beauty out of ugly things.
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