Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday December 9, 2010

Every now and then you come across a statement that sums up what you have been trying to get across to a group, family, congregation or work force. I have been known to forcefully proclaim "Praise the Lord" when I discover such a gem. Today was no different; as I scanned along at a fast pace, today's quote literally jumped off the page and into my heart.

In this season which is supposed to be spiritual in emphasis but is in fact a materialist/hedonistic romp, this statement puts the emphasis where it is needed. You already know truth is for all seasons. Forest Witcraft lived from 1894-1967 and was the Administrator for The Boy Scouts. The statement comes from a brief speech which in my opinion should be published far and wide. Mr. Witcraft closed his speech with:

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

Within My Power - The Power of One Man

The following was written by Forest E. Witcraft (1894 - 1967), a scholar, teacher, and Boy Scout administrator and first published in the October 1950 issue of Scouting magazine.

"I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.

Yet I may someday mould destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation.

These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived.

All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy."

I thought this speech so captivating that I departed from the norm and included it in toto so that you might capture the context and realize that sometimes touching a life and keeping that life from achieving some terrible thing might be of equal importance as the achieving that which is noble.

Within the scope of your influence may be a monster whose heart and mindset will be changed by your care and communication of the love of Christ. You really never know to whom you are speaking and how much a kind word can be used of the Lord to change a life for the good. Suppose Forest had taught Joe Stalin and Stalin had responded positively and drove a truck for his career. Would the world be better off? Of course. Same with Hitler.

So, how are you using your influence, your power of and with Christ to touch the lives of others, young or older? Are you too busy to fool with people?

Time may prove the waste of your busy life. Just a thought.

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy."

John 6:9:

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2010 Use with credit.

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