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Small interactions can have a tremendous impact. You may think that a tiny comment or action you have with someone is insignificant and will not have any powerful result, but truly, anything we do or say, regardless of how great or small, can tremendously influence the world.<\/p>\n
I have seen this for myself in many ways, especially when I think back to many small experiences with others that I had throughout the period of waywardness in my late teens and early twenties that slowly led me back to Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For those of you who have seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, where the man who grew up very poor in India went on to win $1 million on the game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, after being asked questions that synced up perfectly to his various life experiences, my own slow conversion back to having faith in God was something like that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n God\u2019s guiding providence used the small and significant incidents in my life to plant seeds and inspire faith, hope, and love in me, leading me back to Himself.<\/p>\n However, another great example that reminds me of how our small interactions can have a tremendous impact was not a faith-filled moment or even a slightly important life experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It was a joke, really. It was a joke that I told almost in passing, that took about ten seconds to say, and yet it still lives on today in the minds and hearts of some of those who heard it.<\/p>\n Several years ago, I was a graduate student studying Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. My friend got me a job with the athletics department\u2019s events staff, which involved helping with various sporting events and required much time spent at the field house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After one staff meeting at the field house, I heard music from the gym as I left. I stood at the door to the gym and watched Matt Maher and his band rehearse for a concert that they were going to play for the students and staff of the school later that night. I could not stay for long, but I was enthralled to look up to see my Biblical Foundations professor and world-renowned Scripture scholar and author, Scott Hahn, strapping on a guitar and proceeding to wail on it with Matt and his band.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Apparently, they would perform this at the concert later that night, but it was indeed a sight for me to behold at that moment.<\/p>\n After walking out to my car, I realized I had forgotten my phone. Rushing back into the field house to grab it, I see Matt, Dr. Hahn, and a few other people standing by the gym\u2019s door. The joke came to me at that moment and was too good not to share. I walked up to the group and said, \u201cThat was a sweet Hahn Solo!\u201d alluding to the guitar skills of Dr. Hahn and the character from Star Wars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My job was done. I shook hands and greeted everyone, grabbed my phone, and left.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>It was a five-minute experience, yet I would discover its impact later that night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I am a big fan of Matt Maher\u2019s music and was excited to attend his concert with my wife. We enjoyed everything, along with the many others in attendance. I still remember the excitement and emotion brought up as he played, and we sang along to great songs such as Alive Again, Christ Is Risen, and Hold Us Together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was amazed when the surprise occurred. Matt used my joke when announcing Dr. Hahn as the special guest guitarist! He told us that they were going to change the band\u2019s name to Hahn Solo as Dr. Hahn joined them onstage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was so shocked. What an exciting experience! This is how SNL writers probably feel when they see their jokes being acted out on TV by the cast and special guests of the show. Well, maybe not, but I felt pretty cool at the time!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is also interesting to think about how a small joke I made, which I thought of in about two seconds and took about 10 seconds to say, was now being shared with the many people in attendance that night. At the moment of sharing the joke, I was expecting a laugh, and that was it. I did not think that there would be anything more than that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even more incredible is that Dr. Hahn shared the video last month with his 700,000+ Facebook followers! The video he shared from Franciscan now has 22,000 views! They do not include the part where they actually say the joke, but instead they put it in the title of the video.<\/p>\n While it is normal for Scott to have this level of influence and Catholic celebrity persona, for me, a small ministry leader, I am a little excited to see a joke I made get broadcasted to that degree.<\/p>\n It does not even matter to me that I was not given any credit for the joke, and this is by no means a reproach of Scott and Matt for not doing so. I honestly think that it is incredibly fun. Furthermore, it is pretty amazing to see something that I thought was tiny and insignificant become what it is.<\/p>\n I also mention not getting credit for the joke to highlight that we will often impact others in anonymous ways. Your simple greeting to the grocery store clerk with love and dignity might inspire further steps toward Jesus that even he or she is not fully aware of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You could plant a seed into someone\u2019s life through so many comments, facial expressions, or other interactions that, at the moment, neither of you is aware of their significance. And yet, many years from now, you may look back and discover the good that came from it.<\/p>\n I just made a joke. It may not revolutionize anyone\u2019s life or lead to some great medical discovery. However, it does show me that small gestures and comments can have greater impacts than we realize.<\/p>\n I did not teach Scott Hahn or Matt Maher how to play the guitar as well as they do. I just made people laugh. This is just an analogy for what you can do with your own life experiences. It might be meaningful and worthwhile for you to think back on moments in your life that you suspect may have had a similar impact on others or that others have had on you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Take these to prayer and ask God what He thinks of them. This can lead you to discover that your life is more significant than you may have thought. That is the only conclusion one can have on a life so carefully guided and detailed by God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n