Sometimes, we all find ourselves wondering: What kind of impact has my life had? Have I really made a difference in the lives of others?
Those are not always easy questions to answers—and to be honest, sometimes we are the ones least capable of answering those questions well.
Let me give you an example.
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He was a good friend. For the moment, let’s call him Rob. He had a warm, welcoming smile and everyone seemed to like him. He read two or three newspapers a day and was always on top of the news. He was a master of trivia and had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history. He possessed an energy and enthusiasm that lifted your spirits—and he was funny, with a warm and winsome sense of humor.
Rob was a teacher and for many years he taught in one of the high schools here in Virginia. He was a terrific teacher and his students were charmed by his quick wit and wonderful stories. When he agreed years ago to be one of the sponsors for the Class of 1980, all of the other classes were jealous. He was so much fun that one student confessed that even her parents use to fight over which one would get to go on the class field trips with Rob because they so enjoyed his company.
Later, when Rob left his job at the high school and begin teaching in the middle high, I wondered whether he would be able to make the transition. I was sure that he would regret exchanging lively discussions with gifted high school students for the more prosaic conversations with middle highs. But Rob seemed to blossom in both settings. Students of all ages loved him.
Maybe it was because he had so much fun teaching—or maybe because it all came so naturally and easy—that he never really realized what a difference he was making in the lives of his students.
Time and time again I would hear him comparing his accomplishments to those of his brother. It always seemed to Rob that, in comparison with his brother, his own accomplishments seemed tame and modest. The circles that Rob traveled were different than the circles traveled by his brother—and Rob never felt that his own accomplishments had the seismic impact of those of his brother.
Tragically, far too young, Rob died last week following a heartbreaking accident.
I only wish that he could have been there to hear the moving things that were said about him at his funeral. Something of the impact of his live can be seen in touching things that were written about him on Facebook and in the funeral home’s guest book.
“I will miss him so much. He was the world’s greatest teacher and friend.”
“I am crying while writing this because [he] was there for me when I had a really hard time in my life.”
“I have so many fond memories…I still remember things he taught me and stories he told over 30 years ago.”
“…the lessons he taught will never be forgotten because they came from his heart.”
“He inspired us all with his palpable excitement for learning and his ever ready and consistent kindness. I feel so grateful to have known him…”
“Anyone can walk into a classroom and cover material…BUT it takes a very special person to positively impact students and their lives forever!”
These are only some of the more than 600 postings received by Rob’s family following Rob’s death.
These are pretty powerful statements—and they are all about a gifted person who sometimes found himself wondering whether his life had made any real difference.
I know. All of us sometimes wonder if our lives are having an impact. But if we live our lives with warmth, with caring, with courage, and with compassion, we may well discover that our life, like Rob’s¸ has an impact far beyond anything that we imagined.
One of Rob’s former students said it well: “Someone who has touched the lives of so many never really dies. They live on. They live on in the hearts, minds, and actions of all those they inspired.”
Gary Robbins is the Senior Pastor at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church. Visit them on the web at: www.gmumc.org