How many times have we seen life as tiring, pointless, and just difficult. Often, we take for granted what we have and focus all our complaints on what we dont have. On the fast lane, we tend to forget the people beside us and just run to that goal that we have set before us, but eventually when we achieve our goals, when we get what we want, will we make an impact on the people around us? Or will we just be one of those guys at the back just focusing on their lives, not caring about others..

At the end of our time, can we really say that i've made an impact to the people? Can we really say that i've changed the way they live their lives? Can we really say that I've used my time wisely?

What can we do to make an impact on people's lives? Last week's message was really good, add in the podcast that i listened to, it really made me think of all the things that i was unhappy about, all the complaints, all the worries and all the wants that i wanted. To see it from a different view, to look at it at a different angle, to compare it with other people's needs of water, food to eat, electricity for the nights, clothes to wear, a roof over their heads.. It really made me think of those people who are really in need and to even compare them to my complaints, wants, worries is just ridiculous.

Floods, drought, landslides, earthquakes.. Its all been happenning all around us, with ever increasing reports of the natural calamities these few weeks, we have to ask ourselves, are we really making an impact on the society? No, i'm not just talking about helping the poor lady cross the street, giving up a seat on the train/bus. I'm talking about helping others survive. If people like us who have no secure flow of water, no food source and can still be happy and joyful about each new day that they manage to live by, people like us, who have so much more really dont have anything worth complaining, worth worrying.

Through the two sermons last week, i sensed God speaking to me through the two different pastors and i was also inspired by this man, David Livingstone, a missionary who went to Africa via boat because there was no airplanes at that time to spread God's message to the people there and while he was doing his work there, preaching God's word, showing God's love to the people there when only 6 months after working there, his wife contracted a disease which would eventually kill her if she did not return to England to get treatment, and she did so but without her husband, and for 3 years David Livingstone continued to preach the Gospel to the African people without his wife who was in England, and while he was still in Africa, a lion pounced on him and attacked him on his left arm which actually scarred his body, and without even complaining and doubting God, he continued to do God's work, preaching to the people there. One day while he was walking in the jungle, a tree branch hit his eye that caused him to be almost blind. David Livingstone, the man from England, came to Africa able bodied, being able to see, walk, and use every part of his body is now almost blind, his left arm is injured because of a lion attack, and yet he still continued to preach the Gospel. His skin became dark and hard because of the hot sun that was beating down on him while he was doing his work to the point where his wife did not even recognise him when he came back from Africa to visit his wife. His wife not recognising him, just walked past and only noticed him when David opened his mouth to call out to her. Eventually the couple went back to Africa to preach the Gospel via boat from England to Africa, and only afew month after returning, his wife re-contracted the same deadly disease and eventually died in Africa, and David still continued to preach all this time. He continued preaching and eventually got so sick that he needed to take medicine that was only available from England which was preserving his life, and one day, someone ransacked his house, making a mess of his house and he couldnt find his medicine. And without it, he would die. A man, with no telecommunication devices nearby had no chance of telling people that he needed his medicine desperately. A letter from Africa would have taken weeks to be mailed, and by that time he would have died.

A few weeks later, a reporter was sent from England to do a report on David. This reporter came up to David and gave him letters from his children and medicine that he needed. The thing about this reporter is that, 2 years before this, someone asked this reporter to go to Africa to look for David and to give him what he needs. 2 years..

Years went by and David became so sick that now he couldnt even walk on his own and had to be carried on a stretcher from place to place, and throughout his sickness he continued to preach the Gospel to other people around him. Further down his life, he asked the people to put him on his knees so that he could pray and there he passed away..

David Livingstone, a man who could have given up so many times, be it from the long boat journey to Africa, the attack from the lion that severed his arm, the branch from the tree that had poked his eye, being away from his children all this time, his wife that had passed away while preaching the Gospel with him, and yet he didnt. He continued to commit to God's call, he continued to do God's work in a land that was so unfamillar to him. He could have complained all this time, about the trials that he had faced, the difficulties and the sicknesses that he was suffering from and he could have given up. But he didnt, he continued until he passed away in Africa.

If a man like him could go through so much and yet continue to tell the world the good news, who are we to doubt God, who are we to complain when there are others in the world who have suffered so much more that we have..