Life Line
Another inspiring aspect of this book I Beg to Differ by Peter Storey is his involvement with Lifeline. LifeLine started in Australia and he was actually director of LifeLine when it had just started up and he came back to South Africa and started Lifeline SA.
LifeLine was a phone service where you could phone and ask for advice or help when you were in any type of crisis. They did a whole lot of good work counseling people, helping people in difficult times, often going out to help people when they were in need, and snatching people from death in fact, from time to time.
Be Someone's Lifeline
I wonder if your phone is a LifeLine? I wonder if the people in your life know that they can phone you at any time when they need help. I wonder if you, as a Christ follower, perform that role in the life of people around you, caring for them in such a way that they know they can always come to you.
Now, of course, LifeLine was an initiative where people in crisis got in touch with them. But perhaps as Christians, we can reverse it and get in touch with people ahead of a potential crisis.
You don't know what a phone call could mean to someone. You don't know what a message could mean to somebody. Of course, you can't message everybody all the time. But who knows? Maybe the message that you send to somebody today to just check in on them will save their life. Maybe the phone call you make today will help somebody in a profound way. And it might not even be a phone call.
Reach Out Today
In fact, in the book, Storey tells of a time where his church started a lunchtime worship service on a Wednesday, and he tells of a dramatic moment when a man walked past, heard the singing and came in and stood around in the back. And afterwards, he told Storey that he was walking past to go to the Tolman Towers Hotel, intending to throw himself from the roof. But he heard a hymn that he recognized, and he came in. That moment was his way back.
And so don't underestimate the value of something good. Don't underestimate the power of your actions.
Maybe today you can be a lifeline for somebody simply by reaching out.
