Week 9 – You Matter More Than You Think

I have been very well pleased with this book and know that God has ordained us to do this Book Study together, so I thank each and every one of you who have been participating (either silently, online, or at home) in this study.

For the rest of the summer we will be joining Beth Moore’s team in the study of the book, “No Other Gods” by Kelly Minter. We will pick back up at the end of summer with another online Book Study…so, keep your eyes open and stop by often to see what’s coming up in Mel’s World.

As for now, let’s finish up the book by hitting the “highlighter” moments together from the last couple of chapters…

Chapter 20 – barking big
There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life. ~Sister Mary Rose McGready

Page 222 – You see, most of us are doing our best to find our role and to make a difference with our lives. And sometimes the biggest difference we will ever make is in helping barking pigs find their place. So it doesn’t matter if you see yourself as Norman or the teacher. We are all in this together (is anyone else singing the High School Musical song???). Each of us is forever finding our own role as we help others find theirs.

Page 223 – More often than not, we create the difference we make by determining to do so.

Ponder…
1) Have you ever felt like Norman, the “barking pig”? Ever felt like his teacher? Consider some specific examples from your life and how you were able to make a difference because of them.

2) Name a specific issue in your life right now – one that is being met with some resistance – that could be improved with that phrase, “There is now.” If nothing comes to mind, consider other instances in your past where this kind of attitude could have helped. What are they and how would they have been different?

3) Do you have an improbable “character” in your life, someone who doesn’t fit nicely into your circle of friends? If so, how is God helping you make a difference in this person’s life? And how is this person making a difference in yours?

Chapter 21 – a rare road
Page 230 – Was I making a difference? Did my life count for something? As you know, the answers for me didn’t come in bold and direct messages. Instead, I found what I was looking for in subtle clues and hues, like the glistening little fragments of sea glass that turned out to be jewels hidden in the sand. Hidden by overwhelming doubts, persistent fears, unfathomable losses, deep insecurities, and the relentless pressure of daily demands, I discovered that my life does matter – more than I thought it might. But I’ve got to confess, I doubt I could have ever really discovered beauty in the fragments of my life without the help of my Band of Sisters. The social capital of other women helped me to see that the mosaic of the fragments of my life, when gathered together like sea glass, was a piece of art. I was making a difference. My life does matter.

Page 232-233 – If there’s anything my walks along Discovery Beach have taught me, if there’s anything I’ve learned from my Band of Sisters and my quiet moments with God, it’s that the differences I treasure most are the differences that endure. Some differences, even impressive ones, last for only a short while. “If we work upon marble,” said statesman Daniel Webster, “it will perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface it.” Then he said, “But if we work upon immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, we engrave on those tables something which no time can efface, and which will brighten to all eternity.”

Page 233 – Love – that self-giving attitude and action that runs counter to our culture as well as our nature – endures.

Ponder…
1) What difference will endure because of your life on this planet? What difference will “brighten for all eternity” because you were here?

2) If the differences you are making with your life – even this week – were represented by little pieces of sea glass collected in a jar, how would some of these pieces be labeled? Be as specific as you can.

Postlude
Page 235 – That’s why I dedicate this book to every woman who isn’t willing to settle for anything less than making a difference. But not just any kind of difference, the difference that endures.

Always Remember YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,