Called to Minister

Just recently I was talking with my little sister about a leadership program that she had attended, in which at one point she was asked to make a list of individuals who have had a positive impact on her life. My name made the list. Can't you just picture me now...big 'ole fat head glowing, and a proud smile across my face? Ok, so it did feel good to hear that (even if it was just my little sister, who's totally expected to look up to her big sister), but more than leaving me with a sense of pride, I was left with a sense of responsibility and calling. I was surprised because I didn't know she was paying attention. It really made me stop and think...my life affects her life, whether I'm aware of it or not - everything I do and say either helps or hurts her. As it does with everyone I encounter, and everyone they encounter. I was encouraged to find that my life had contributed to something good, and has the potential to contribute to a lot more good in the lives of many others. Others - they are not just my little sister, my teacher, my friend, my classmate, my fellow church member. Not just an extra or supporting actress in my story, but a story and a life all their own. A whole unique, thinking, feeling, dynamic person that I experience, yes, but who also experiences me. What will the effect be? It gave me a sense of calling, more so than I've been able to recognize with respect to any academic pursuit or career. A calling to others. The motto of Berry College, where I received my undergraduate eduction, was "be a lifter, not a leaner". And the founder, Martha Berry, would quote from Scripture, "Not to be ministered unto, but to minister." I hope to represent my Alma Mater well.