PASSING ALONG GRACE, Dwight Bain, LMHC
Outquote: No kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Have you ever had one of those days where you were reminded of your past? Not the regrets and guilt from past mistakes, rather the blessings of remembering how God used others to share His grace and love with you. That’s the kind of memory that brings comfort from knowing that God was always reaching out to you, even when you didn’t know it was Him. Let me tell you a story about David Hurd, a man who illustrates this type of grace messenger to show you how this spiritual process works.
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. ~ Jeremiah 17:7
The 1970’s were a calm time in Central Florida and life was good. Orlando was a small town of closely connected families and businesses, so churches tended to reflect that same sense of connection. Brother Dave Hurd was my youth pastor when I was an impressionable teenager under his leadership. To put it bluntly I was just another “nerd” in the crowd. Overweight, shy and afraid of the rejection of my peer group I was not a candidate for anyone’s most successful list... that is, anyone except Brother Dave’s. (Yes, I knew that my family loved and accepted me, but I didn’t count that because they were supposed to! I later found out that my parents were in a conspiracy with Brother Dave to help me come out of my insecure shell to be the young man God designed to be). He always had time to listen to my disappointments or dreams and I knew that he really cared about me. What a difference! Over a two year period, I was able to let go of shyness and fear and begin to join my peers. Brother Dave encouraged me toward speaking contests for teenagers and by God’s grace I did well. He even went with me to the national contest in upstate New York to encourage and cheer me on.
“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything to hard for me?”
~ Jeremiah 32:27
Now over twenty-five years later, I am still speaking to groups about God’s grace and healing power to touch and change lives. God used David Hurd as his messenger to guide a scared teenager into beginning a life of Christian Service and ministry. I will forever be grateful for his love and influence in my life. there are dozens of times that I’m still blessed from the common wisdom from this godly man.
“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:9
Perhaps this would be a good time to call your former youth pastor or Sunday School teacher to express your gratitude for their influence in your life as a messenger of God’s grace. Often people who give up their time and energy to minister through their church feel lonely and forgotten when the fact is they are instruments in God’s hands to touch lives. Brother Dave did that for me and I am holding the ladder up for the next bunch....
“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.”~ Luke 9:23
What about you? Who was a grace messenger to help you and who are you helping? Good questions, but before you reach out to help others, why not start with seeking out someone from your past to bless them for their leadership and kindness. That way you will be handing back the grace and love that they handed you so long ago, and the grace process will continue to grow on and on.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what please him. ~ Philippians 2:13
About the Author: Dwight Bain is an Author and Nationally Certified Counselor at the LifeWorks Group in Winter Park. To access more resources go to www.lifeworksgroup.org.
Have you ever had one of those days where you were reminded of your past? Not the regrets and guilt from past mistakes, rather the blessings of remembering how God used others to share His grace and love with you. That’s the kind of memory that brings comfort from knowing that God was always reaching out to you, even when you didn’t know it was Him. Let me tell you a story about David Hurd, a man who illustrates this type of grace messenger to show you how this spiritual process works.
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. ~ Jeremiah 17:7
The 1970’s were a calm time in Central Florida and life was good. Orlando was a small town of closely connected families and businesses, so churches tended to reflect that same sense of connection. Brother Dave Hurd was my youth pastor when I was an impressionable teenager under his leadership. To put it bluntly I was just another “nerd” in the crowd. Overweight, shy and afraid of the rejection of my peer group I was not a candidate for anyone’s most successful list... that is, anyone except Brother Dave’s. (Yes, I knew that my family loved and accepted me, but I didn’t count that because they were supposed to! I later found out that my parents were in a conspiracy with Brother Dave to help me come out of my insecure shell to be the young man God designed to be). He always had time to listen to my disappointments or dreams and I knew that he really cared about me. What a difference! Over a two year period, I was able to let go of shyness and fear and begin to join my peers. Brother Dave encouraged me toward speaking contests for teenagers and by God’s grace I did well. He even went with me to the national contest in upstate New York to encourage and cheer me on.
“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything to hard for me?”
~ Jeremiah 32:27
Now over twenty-five years later, I am still speaking to groups about God’s grace and healing power to touch and change lives. God used David Hurd as his messenger to guide a scared teenager into beginning a life of Christian Service and ministry. I will forever be grateful for his love and influence in my life. there are dozens of times that I’m still blessed from the common wisdom from this godly man.
“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:9
Perhaps this would be a good time to call your former youth pastor or Sunday School teacher to express your gratitude for their influence in your life as a messenger of God’s grace. Often people who give up their time and energy to minister through their church feel lonely and forgotten when the fact is they are instruments in God’s hands to touch lives. Brother Dave did that for me and I am holding the ladder up for the next bunch....
“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.”~ Luke 9:23
What about you? Who was a grace messenger to help you and who are you helping? Good questions, but before you reach out to help others, why not start with seeking out someone from your past to bless them for their leadership and kindness. That way you will be handing back the grace and love that they handed you so long ago, and the grace process will continue to grow on and on.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what please him. ~ Philippians 2:13
About the Author: Dwight Bain is an Author and Nationally Certified Counselor at the LifeWorks Group in Winter Park. To access more resources go to www.lifeworksgroup.org.
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