I recently had the privilege of being part of the team who organised the ‘Farewell and Thank You’ event for Duncan Stow as he moves on from the fantastic work of Leeds Youth Cell Network. As the evening went on I was struck by the memories and stories from those who had been there at the birth of LYCN over 12 years ago, as well as various young adults who had been through a cell group and all the mission, social, training & support opportunities that come from that.

There was real warmth and affection for a man who never claimed to be perfect, but followed God’s call on his life, and put people around him to support and encourage him and enable his dreams and vision from God to become a thriving reality. At the heart of this is a person who genuinely loves and has a desire to share God’s love with a generation and a city.

Perhaps this is a unique situation, and one where it is easier to see the fruit of an individual making such an impact on a large group of people than we think of in our own lives. However, as I get ready to go to a funeral this afternoon, it seems appropriate to reflect that we all have a life that gives us the opportunity to make an impact on other people. How positive or negative that impact turns out to be is entirely up to us.

At the risk of sounding morbid and wondering what would be in your obituary, maybe it is healthier to take inspiration from Dickens and consider what our ‘Ghost of Christmas future’ would show us. We all know that in this tale Scrooge turned his character around, but what about us? What are the changes that we need to make today to know that our legacy and impact is one that we would be proud to look back on in years to come.

Make today count!

Glenda