When Thomas A. Edison died on October 18, 1931, President Herbert Hoover suggested that all the lights in America be turned off for one minute in honor of the noted inventor. It was when he was only thirty-two that the youthful inventor, after thirteen months of repeated failure, had developed the first incandescent light. It was, in his words, the "most difficult" of all his inventions. But President Hoover's proposal was never carried out, because responsible leaders decided that too much risk would be involved if all lights were suddenly extinguished at the same time. Edison designed a product that proved indispensable. Even at his death, the world could not do without it for a single minute. A good test of any man's (or woman's) life is whether he makes even a small contribution which just one person cannot do without. What about you? Are you making a difference? Rick Warren in his book entitled, The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan 2002), states the following. "The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose." Rick continues, "You are not an accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment. You are alive because God wanted to create you! The Bible says, 'The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.'" Do you agree with this Biblical truth? Ask the Lord to help you with your unbelief. Your life is too valuable to God, to this world, to miss living with impact simply because you can't get this truth into your heart. All things are possible to him who believes, according to the Bible. Why would someone not believe that her life is meaningful? Many have been told that they were a mistake. Many have believed the lie of the enemy that they are just a lump of flesh, suspended in space and time, to exist and then die. But this is not true. The Bible says that you are made in the image and likeness of God. The Bible says that you are wonderfully and gloriously made. The prophet Jeremiah said that God called him to his life-long purpose from his mother's womb. The Bible says that you've been in the mind of God from eternity past. A life this significant should certainly have purpose. And if it has purpose, then it can impact the world around it. That's right. Because God created you in purpose, you are significant in this world. The Kingdom of God is your domain. And as you move through this life in the Kingdom of Light, you spoil the works of darkness. As darkness flees, you stand in its vacated spot as light and salt. You bring the Light of Christ so that others may see, and you stand as salt against the rottenness of evil and despair. This is impact. This is your life. Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon. Pastor t. About the author: Pastors a small church in Broken Arrow, OK. US Navy veteran, retired police officer, and father of three grown children.

Terry Dashner