It's Worth Re-thinking Worth

traveled to Costa Rica, to spend a week working with a church in the barrio of San Jose. being my second time there, the faces were some familiar, some new, but the scenery remained the same. dirt, sewage, marijuana - and the smiles of kids whose faces disguise a growing awareness of how hard life is.

the trip was construction, the centerpiece being the installation of two hot water heaters to provide the kitchen and pastor's 'house' hot water. the installation was tricky - costa rican building standards being interesting to say the least - but with perseverance, prayer, and talent the mission was accomplished.

the morning after the hot water heaters were installed, Christian (one of the two pastors) told us that he gave his nine-month old daughter a bath in warm water for the first time in her life. now, the sink was concrete and dirty by american standards. But for the first time the water was warm, and maybe life a little better for all of them.

on the trip I was the banker. i knew the budget and the resources we had to work with, but when i heard the story about Christian and his daughter i started re-thinking what this mission effort was 'worth.' in one sense, the trip has an economic value - I can tell you the money that was spent and how much each tool or piece of equipment cost. as true as this economic view might be, faith tells me the worth is far more. Jesus, while he certainly knew his dollars and cents, also knew that 'worth' in heaven has a far greater meaning. in heaven, kindness, mercy, and love of neighbor are the only measures of value. in fact, He might say that anything without these virtues has no value, or worse a negative one.

so what was our mission trip worth? i am not sure, but i am rethinking what has value and it is leading my, i believe, to understanding Jesus more.

An Influential Truth

Over last weekend I saw I am Legend with Will Smith. In the movie, the song Three Little Birds by Bob Marley plays an influential role in the philosophy of Smith's character, Dr. Robert Neville. As Will Smith sang with the song, I remembered that in another movie, Shark Tale, Will Smith (who is the voice of the main character) makes another attempt to sing Three Little Birds - two different movies, same actor, same song. My guess? Bob Marley is an influence on Will Smith.

Influences emerge. There are obvious sources of influences - suddenly I find myself talking like my father. Other influences can be subtle, I find myself singing a song because it has a deeper meaning for me or reciting a quote from an author or a film. Recently on my ipod I was listening to a song by Skillet, The Older I Get. I found myself instinctively at first, hitting the back button to listen to the song over and over as I ran on the treadmill. After about the third or fourth time it hit me - this song has something to say to me. The lyric that hits me is;


The older I get
Will I get over it?
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I didn't know then it would hurt like this but I think
The older I get
Maybe I'll get over it
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I can't believe it still hurts like this

Why? I think it is because the greatest regret I have is missing what God wanted to me to know or do, by having done something else. While I can make up for much, I have yet to discover how to reclaim time.

The song is an influence...and while I know that Jesus is an influence on me, and through him I can find all of life that has been lost and more....I think I will wait until a later blog to explore the realities of regret and time lost.

For now I am listening to Skillet and Bob Marley's Three Little Birds. We will see where it goes from there.