Missing the point

God and my pastor have some way of figuring out exactly what I am struggling with at a given moment and then making sure they get a message to me on Sunday. Lately, I have been feeling a little disappointed in the way things have been going in my volunteer efforts. I started to feel a bit aggravated with people and their lack of commitment and nonchalant attitude towards things. To me, if you sign up, show up. If you're not going to show up, call. Seriously, we live in a world where technology allows us to get out of so much. Remember when you had to actually speak to a live person, either on the phone or face-to-face, to let them know you would be letting them down? Now, you can just email it or text it and it's just way easier. So, just do it. I understand that you have a child or two (or three or four) to worry about. But, I am thinking about 40 children or 100 children or whatever for that specific program or event. But, that's not the point. The point is that I am missing the point. I am getting too wound up in the logistics of my efforts. I'm thinking about the paperwork when I should be thinking about the principle. Why do I volunteer? Why do I invest so much time and effort? It's because I need to. I should. We all should. We need to take what we know and share it with the next generation. We need to stop raising children who feel entitled to everything because we give them everything and never let them experience failure or what they consider fairness. We need to raise kids who know how to earn something and work for it. Kids need to learn that life isn't always fair. We need to show children that it's okay to not always be first or best. We need to teach them how to lose with grace and dignity - to be a part of a team and not just think of themselves. So, that is what my pastor taught me this week. He sets a good example. He doesn't need to do what he does, but he said just being able to touch the life of a child is amazing. Sure, he's raising amazing children in his own family, but outside of his home, he is making a difference in young adults. Did someone do that for you? Was there a teacher or a coach or a neighbor or someone else who said something or did something that made you want to be a better person? Did they tell you they believed in you and make you want to believe in yourself? If yes, that is great. If no, don't you wish there was that person in your life? Can you imagine how wonderful it is to be that person to someone else? So today, instead of dwelling in the disappointment and pondering all the paperwork, I am going to think about how what I am doing might someday mean something to a young woman who was once just a little girl at a science fair or on a camping trip. To me, it may just mean a few hours. To her, it might mean the world.