Many months ago I watched
the movie “Pay It Forward”, never dreaming the impact it would have on
my life. The outpouring of love from those who knew Jamie (many of
whom I never knew were in her life – especially her internet friends)
gave birth to the challenge I presented to those who attended Jamie’s
funeral service. which is titled
“Jamie’s Gift to Me.” In that service I related that in
Jamie’s Bible she left me a gift in the form of an underlined verse –
Ephesians 4: 31-32. From this verse, I gleaned insight into what was
truly of value to my daughter.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.”
So, how do I honor my daughter in a way
which is consistent with what was in her heart?
In the movie “Pay it Forward”, a young man
is given a class assignment to create a project that could change the
world – he designs the pay it forward concept. Every person is to do a
kind generous act to three different people. Those three people
instead of paying it back – pay it forward to three more. Somewhere
around the sixteenth level the number reaches forty-three million,
forty-six thousand, seven hundred twenty-one people. After a few more
levels the number exceeds the population of the world. Then everybody
gets helped more than once. And then it gets bigger even faster –
eventually changing the world.
Jamie’s death was an act of evil in this
world. So, how do we respond? With bitterness? Wrath? Anger? Clamor?
Evil speaking? No. Jamie realized the truth of the biblical
admonishment to “over come evil with good.”
I put forth the same challenge to each of
you who visits this website. If each one of you – would – in memory of
Jamie – pay it forward to three people – asking them to do the same –
even it that means forgiving someone you did not think you could
forgive – and asking them to pay that forgiveness forward – Jamie’s
love and trust and belief in goodness will live on and on in this
earth - just as her gentle spirit will live on with our Lord. I can
picture Jamie, watching and listening to us now smiling and saying to
each one of us … “Yes …. Pay it forward … with God’s love. ”
