But there I am... trying desperately to learn how to play the piano, and not exactly succeeding with wild abundance, but I have made it into adult book #2. And in the beginning of book #2 is Brahms' Lullaby, or at least a simplistic version of it. So I've been pounding upon the keyboard for the past week, trying to reproduce this beautiful piece of music, and all I can hear in my head is a Michelin commercial that used the same piece of music. It's an old commercial (so old it's not on Youtube--that makes it practically prehistoric), probably designed sometime before the internet was created, when apples were still fruits and not expensive gadgets.
But it's left me thinking about the impact we Christians leave on others. I can't hear Brahms' Lullaby without thinking about a tire commercial from years ago. What kind of impact do Christians have on others, and what kind of lasting effect do their words and actions have?
I believe that we often forget how long the effects of our actions can last. In this age, where so much is temporary, transient, the loving actions of a Christian can still have permanent effects on people. In the same way, our failing to live with integrity can forever taint the image of Christ in the mind of a non-believer.
May we accept this responsibility and go forth into the world, seeking to allow Christ to work through us, transforming the world. May we realize that the immediate effects of our actions may be unknown & immeasurable, but that does not mean they will not last, for years perhaps, floating around in the back of someone's mind, a memory that the Holy Spirit may use at the appropriate time to point someone toward Christ. May we love our neighbors with reckless abandon, uncertain of the results, but certain that the Kingdom of God is at work in and through us, and may we trust in God that the imprints of our love will be remembered for years to come.
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