Close your eyes and take a slow,
Deep breath.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Do it again.
And feel the air filling your lungs.
Inhale and exhale.
And as you exhale,
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Today,
I just want to provide some comfort for you for maybe some of the questions that arise.
In this life.
If you've ever wondered,
What is the point?
Or will any of this matter?
Please know that you are not alone.
Human beings have asked these questions for thousands of years.
But maybe there's another way to look at your life.
Let's imagine dropping a single pebble into a still lake.
The pebble disappears beneath the surface almost immediately,
Yet the ripples continue long after it's gone.
Our lives are much the same.
You may never know all the ways your kindness has changed another person.
You might never know how one encouraging conversation gave someone the strength to keep going that day.
You may never know how your patience shaped a child.
How your generosity inspired a friend.
Or how your courage gave someone else permission to be brave.
The greatest impacts are often invisible.
Think about the people who came before you.
Maybe a grandparent worked long,
Arduous hours sacrificing comforts they would never enjoy so that their children could have opportunities they never had.
And in turn,
You've had opportunities you never would have had.
Maybe someone planted a garden and it was just seedlings.
It was just the beginning.
And after they were gone is when everything started to bloom and grow and people added to the garden and it became a sanctuary for people to rest and recover and find beauty.
Today,
You benefit from countless acts of love from people whose names you may not ever know.
A teacher.
A farmer,
An engineer,
A neighbor.
Someone who chose kindness over convenience.
Their lives became part of yours,
And one day your life will become part of someone else's.
People likely will be speaking your name for generations to come.
The world you leave behind will not be the same because you were here.
Every generation hands something to the next,
Not just finances,
Not just possessions,
But wisdom,
Values,
Compassion,
Faith.
Resilience,
And hope.
What you build today may become the foundation someone else stands upon decades from now.
And maybe the most comforting thought of all is that you don't have to change the entire world by yourself.
But your faithful care for the small piece that's in front of you that's been entrusted to you is enough.
You loving your family,
You encouraging your friends,
Serving your community,
And creating beauty right where you're planted.
You are planting seeds that you may never see grow,
But they will grow.
Love has a way of traveling farther than we can ever witness.
If your life even touches one other life with goodness,
That goodness will ripple out and continue forever.
It spreads,
It echoes like the ripples across the still water.
Your worth has never depended on how famous you become or how much the world remembers your name.
Just remember,
You are already known.
You are already loved and you are already seen by the one who created you.
So let's release the pressure to have all the answers.
You were never asked to carry eternity on your shoulders.
You are invited to live today with love and gratitude.
So let's take another deep breath together.
Inhale.
And exhale and feel your feet grounded beneath you.
Remember that you are part of a much larger story,
One that began long before you and will continue long after you.
And that's not something to fear.
It's something for us to rest in.
Amen,
And have a beautiful,
Beautiful day.
