Make an Investment - Laurie McTier

Laurie McTier is with On The Go Ministries in Nashville.

As we start a new year, I want to encourage each of you to seek to make investments in the lives of others during 2011. Recently, many of us have lost some very dear friends, pastors, mentors. Today I want to share with you a tribute that I wrote to my dad seventeen years ago. 
When we lose our loved ones, we find Divine Comfort that God is preparing a place for us and we will see them again. May our lives be a legacy and a Godly example to those whom we come in contact with.

Make an Investment by Laurie McTier

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

On January 3, 1994, my father, Bobby Wilkerson, went home to be with the Lord. As I recollect on my dad's life, I am reminded of the legacy that he has left in the hearts of all who knew him.

My father was a big man. He had broad shoulders and a coarse voice, just to see him would deter some of my friends from talking with him.   

But to those who knew him, deep down inside, my dad was one of the most compassionate men I have ever met. As he saw a need, he did not turn his head, he turned his heart and reached out to make a difference and assist them at the point of their need.

One lesson that my father taught me over and over again was to give and it will be given back to you. Whether we were going on a trip to the grocery or on a family vacation, I'm reminded that every time my father saw a need, he was moved with compassion, and took time to lend a helping hand. It did not matter if he knew the individual or not, he felt it was his duty to give of himself and to help them at their point of need.

Eighteen years ago, my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer. At the point of diagnosis, immediately his life changed. For nearly thirty years he had served as an engineer for the railroad. Now with the brain tumor, he could never drive a train again. Matter of fact, he was never able to work again. This devastated him. Our hearts were touched when those to whom he had worked with and reached out to for the past fifty four years of his life saw his need, they began to give back to him. Over the course of the next eight months of his life, his friends and family gave back to him ten-fold.

Every day is a gift from God. We have a choice to honor God in all that we do and seek to make an investment in the lives of others. We have one life, one chance to live this moment. You will never have the opportunity to relive today. Choose today to make a difference in someone's life. You will be glad you did.

Daily Prayer Focus: God, give us sensitivity today to the needs of those around us. May our lives be an investment for your Kingdom work.