Francis J. Kong
(The Philippine Star) Updated July 23, 2011 12:00 AM
The conference was about to begin. The emcee was rehearsing her spiels for the last time. My heart was pounding, fast and heavy.
The place alone was already intimidating. The Plenary Hall of the
Philippine International Convention Center is no ordinary venue for
small-time speakers like me. But that wasn’t my main concern. The
speaker whom I’ll be sharing the platform with, well he’s the one who’s
giving me the jitters.
This speaker’s reputation precedes him. He’s had his grinning face on
the cover of many a book. His radio program is heard in many countries;
his television shows are seen around the world. His voice is so
familiar that, one time, an immigration officer, without even looking up
at him, recognized him upon hearing his, “Good morning!” His mere name
is known worldwide. And here I was, with butterflies in my stomach,
sharing the speaker’s platform with him. Oh, how unworthy I felt!
He must’ve seen my nervousness. Master encourager that he was, he
approached me, put his arms on my shoulders, and with that familiar,
loving face, gave me some fatherly advice.
“Francis, isn’t it wonderful?” he said. I asked, “What is?” And he
said, “Haven’t you noticed what we’re doing? Why, it’s the most
wonderful job in the world. I wouldn’t trade this for anything else in
the world.”
At the back of my mind, I thought, “Well, yeah sure. It’s easy for
you to say. At least you’ve been in this speaking and teaching business
for the last 30 or more years.”
But the next thing he said completely changed my perspective. He
said, “You know Francis, the wonderful thing about speaking and teaching
is that we get the opportunity to change the world!”
The man was right. No wonder he is what he is today – a most
respected teacher, a very prolific writer and a very successful speaker.
His name, of course, is Dr. Harold Sala.
Ever since Dr. Sala said what he did, I’ve never been quite the
same. I realized that I was feeling uncomfortable then because I was
focusing on the self. But now, with a wider perspective and pursuing a
cause bigger than myself – the cause of changing the world, as Dr. Sala
has put it – I do what I do. I speak. I write. I teach. Not for the
money angle, but for the sole purpose of changing the world.
The following words from famous author Max Lucado really pierced my heart:
“If you ever wonder how in the world God could use you to change the
world, look at these people... The people God used to change history.
What can you say about a fellow whose lust got so lusty that he got a
woman pregnant, tried to blame it on her husband, had her husband
killed, and then went on living like nothing ever happened? Well, you
could say he was a man after God’s own heart. David’s track record left
little to be desired, but his repentant spirit was unquestionable.
Then comes Jonah. God’s ambassador to Nineveh. Jonah, however, had
other ideas. He had no desire to go to that heathen city, so he hopped
on another boat while God wasn’t looking (or at least that’s what Jonah
thought). God put him in a whale’s belly to bring him back to senses.
But even the whale couldn’t stomach this missionary for too long. A
good burp, and Jonah went flying over the surf and landed big-eyed and
repentant on the beach.
On and on the stories go: Elijah, the prophet who pouted. Solomon,
the king who knew too much. Jacob, the wheeler-dealer. Gomer the
prostitute. Sarah the woman who giggled at God. One story after another
of God using man’s best and overcoming man’s worst.
Even the genealogy of Jesus is salted with a dubious character or two
– Tamar the adulteress, Rahab the harlot, and Bathsheba, who tended to
take baths in questionable locations.
The reassuring lesson is clear. God used (and uses!) people to change
the world. People! Not saints or super-humans or geniuses, but people.
Crooks, creeps, lovers and liars – he uses them all. And what they may
lack in perfection, God makes up for in love.1
You may not be in the speaking or lecturing circuit, but what you do
out there carries the potential to change the world.
Not out of your
strength but from His grace. The little child you touched. The aged
woman you helped. Those ailing people you reached out to. And most of
all, those faltering people you shared God’s love and God’s Word with...
You are in the business of changing the world!
And don’t you forget it!
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