Whowill you run for? Give your life over for the good of others
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About 12 years ago, when Lakewood Church was still meeting in our old campus, a woman came to me and asked, “Dolores, do you remember me?” I was startled at first because no one besides my parents had called me Dolores since I was in high school. When I went to nursing school, the girls started calling me Dodie. I thought this woman looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite remember who she was, so I asked her name. She said it was Joanne. Immediately, I remembered her!
Joanne and I went to elementary school together. During recess, when we would play baseball, she would serve as my pinch runner. I would hit the all, and because I wore a brace and couldn’t run fast, she would run for me. When she reminded me of this, I began to cry. The remembrance that she cared enough about me to do that touched my heart. She was, and still is, so precious to me. I love Joanne and will always be thankful that I know her. Driving home from church that day, I thought about how in life we should all be “running the bases” for one another. Of course, that most likely won’t mean you’re running literal bases for someone, as Joanne did for me. Still, there’s always something you can do, say, or pray about for any person with whom you come in contact.
The Bible tells us to “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) NIV). Jesus is pleased with us when we look beyond our needs and do something to help others. He is pleased when we “run the bases” for those who cannot run for themselves.
Since my conversation with Joanne, I have recounted several times when people have done this for me. My family, my church family and my friends “ran the bases” for me in 1981 when I was diagnosed with metastatic cancer of the liver. They ran for me again when John (the Rev. John Osteen) was sick, and again when he went to be with Jesus. And the list goes on and on.
God doesn’t want us to think only about ourselves in our own little
worlds, distant from others and their needs. He wants us to become actively involved in one another’s lives, to find a need and then help to meet it. That’s one reason the Bible teaches us to get connected in a local church, so we can build relationships with people who will stand in for us when we need it, and so that we can do the same for them.
In the busyness of our day, it’s easy to focus on getting done only what we need to do for ourselves. It seems we have enough on our own to-do list to keep us from even thinking about adding in anyone else’s problems or responsibilities! When that happens to me, I remember Joanne. When she was running for me, she could’ve been focusing on saving her strength for her own at bat, but she didn’t. She chose to run for me. I want to have the same heart for others!
Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Give your life over to the good of others. God truly blesses those who look out for the welfare of those around them. There is no small life when it is given for the good of others!
When I do funerals, I often tell Joanne’s story. I remind the people that we need to run the bases for the families of the deceased because they are hurting and will be lonely. For these people to know that friends are praying for them helps them tremendously. I also remind them of the Bible story that recounts when Joshua and his army were fighting the Amalekites (Exodus 17).
In that story, Moses took the rod of God up to the mountaintop and held it up as the Israelites fought. As long as he held up his hands, Joshua was winning. After awhile, Moses’ arms got tired, just like we get tired and weary because of so much going on in our lives. But Aaron and Hur intervened and propped Moses’ arms up on some rocks and held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other — so that his hands remained steady until sunset, and Joshua won the battle. We all need our arms held up at times — even pastors and their families, just as our family has needed over the years. I am always so glad when people tell me they are praying for my family and for me.
Sometimes, we think that because we are not a pastor or a speaker or someone with the ability to influence a huge audience of people at once, we are not capable of “running” for others and not important to the kingdom of God. That is so far from the truth. You never know what kind of impact you can have. To God, it makes no difference where you are or who you are. He can use you.
We can all have great influence. Whether you’re teaching a class of 20 children or speaking to 20,000 people every week, God can use you. Whether you’re in a business meeting, working in a refinery, in an office, in a hospital, anywhere — you are surrounded by opportunities to show God’s love. Every person, every conversation, every situation is an opportunity. If you don’t know how to reach out to someone, ask Jesus to help make you a ward of their needs.
As you start living a life of mercy, focused on the needs of others, you might find that people don’t understand it, but they didn’t understand Jesus either. All throughout the Bible, we see religious people condemning Him for spending time with the “sinners.” He was despised for His unconditional love, and you might be, too. But that’s OK. Never let the opinions of others stop you from obeying Jesus. Part of our purpose on this earth is to grant grace to those who need it. Jesus will be so proud of us if we walk in love and are concerned about the needs of others, not just ourselves.
A few years ago, a precious lady moved to Houston and began attending Lakewood. Her mother had gone to heaven four years before, and she felt she would never get over the pain of her loss. She walked into our church feeling depressed and overwhelmed, hoping to experience something in the service that would help her overcome the grief once and for all. But to her surprise, the healing came before the service even began!
When this lady walked into the church, she was welcomed by one of our greeters. This time, however, the greeter felt impressed to welcome this visitor in a far different manner than she would most guests. She walked up to this grieving lady, said hello, put her hands on her face and patted it. Now, to you and me, that would probably seem odd. It is not the greeting you usually expect when you walk into church! You might just turn around and head for your car! But God knew just what that lady needed.
After the service, she came to me and said, “Ms. Dodie, how she put her hands on my face and patted it is exactly what my mother used to do to me. The lady did not even know it!” From that day on, her grief began to leave her, and she has as been living a different life ever since. And to think, it all started with one woman’s obedience to act, regardless of how small that act was. It started because of one woman’s desire to look beyond herself and see someone else’s needs.
It is amazing what God will lead us to do sometimes, if we will open up ourselves to Him and understand that no act is too small if He is in it. If we will listen to His still, small voice and obey it, we can make a great difference in the life of every person we come into contact with. Small acts can lead to great impacts. So don’t let small stop you! The real way to win in this game of life is to run the bases for those who need it.
Excerpted from “If My Heart Could Talk,” by Dodie Osteen. Used with permission from FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.