“When was the last time you blessed someone?”
By Dr. Michael C. Carson, Columnist
The Bing Dictionary defines History as: “What has happened: the past events of a period in time or the life or development of a people, an institution, or a place. A study of past events: the branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events. A record of events: a chronological account of past events of a period or in the life or development of a people, an institution, or a place.”
Isaiah encourages us to “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)
I want to share a brief story from the life of an African American that Life Magazine, in their April 6, 1963 issue,named one of the great preachers of the time. It is a wonderful and inspiring story about Howard Washington Thurman at a train station.
Thurman was born November 18, 1899, in Daytona Beach, Florida, and died April 10, 1981, in San Francisco, California. He was an American author, pastor, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, civil rights leader, and prominent religious figure who played a leading role in many social justice movements and organizations of the 20th century. The Reverend. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other black and white leaders of the modern Civil Rights Movement greatly influenced Thurman.
The PBS This Far By Faith Publication shares, “Thurman was raised in segregated Daytona, Florida. Schools there went only to the seventh grade, so Thurman’s family scraped together the money to send him to high school in Jacksonville. However, at the train station, Thurman was told that he had to pay extra to send his baggage. Buying the ticket had left him destitute; he had no more to ship his trunk. Penniless, the boy sat down on the steps and began to cry. Then, a stranger-a black man dressed in overalls- walked by and paid the charges. The man did not introduce himself, and Thurman never learned his name.
Thurman dedicated his autobiography “to the stranger in the railroad station in Daytona Beach who restored my broken dream sixty-five years ago.”
What will you do with your days? How will you bless others by becoming part of their history?
When someone writes or recites their autobiography, will you somehow be on their mind and lips because you blessed them in some very major way?
Evangelist Cathy shares, “Beloved, you really have a great opportunity to be a positive “landmark” a part of history, be it for an American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White, or any other race and ethnicity simply because you simply cared for them!”
Situations in life became better because you somehow served as “a stranger in the railroad station” of another person’s life!
I’m just saying!
You will hit a home run, get on base, or strike out on any given day. The only requirement is that you practice and come up to the plate every day and swing!
Dr. Carson can be contacted at refreshingcoach@gmail.com. This article first appeared in the at https://www.kokomotribune.com/opinion/columns/michael-c-carson-become-a-blessing-in-other-peoples-lives-by-serving-them/article_fc310f64-c774-11ee-a893-bf4180c83861.html.
