大象传媒

From Steve Chalke, minister, speaker and social entrepreneur:聽
Mark Twain said: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why", So, here鈥檚 the story of my 鈥渇ind-out-why鈥� day. I was fourteen. I鈥檇 fallen in love. Her name was Mary. She went to the local posh school. I had a place at the other one! As I was often reminded: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the kind of kid who鈥檒l work with your hands, not your head鈥�, However, I discovered that every Friday night, Mary went to a youth club in the local church hall. So, using my head, I joined up too. I attended for months before my hopes were crushed. Mary, I learned, wasn鈥檛 interested!聽
Walking home, on that fateful night, I was faced with a huge decision. Rejected by the girl who gave my future meaning, was my life of any worth?鈥櫬� But though from my school I already felt like the answer was 鈥榥o鈥�, as I鈥檇 got to know the leaders of that Friday night club, I鈥檇 somehow absorbed their message. It was very different. 鈥淵ou are created by God鈥�, they said. 鈥淵our life has huge potential 鈥� don鈥檛 waste it鈥�. My decision was made! Even if Mary didn鈥檛 want me, I was going to keep going to that club and, more than that, when I was old enough I鈥檇 open a school that taught young people their lives counted. And a house 鈥� a place of safety for young people who鈥檇 never been shown that they鈥檇 mattered to anyone, and a hospital. Only that would be a fitting response to the fact that, on this night, the view I had of myself as an irrelevance had been swept away.聽
My point is this. That youth club was a gift to me 鈥� a gift which transformed my future. And, I believe that every 鈥榗hild is in need鈥� one way or the other of that same kind of investment; that 鈥渇ind-out-why鈥� relationship which opens the door of imagination and opportunity that might have otherwise remained firmly shut, and even bolted in their face. Mark Twain was right "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." And it鈥檚 that second one, that 鈥渇ind-out-why鈥� day, that makes the role of this week鈥檚 Children in Need campaign just so important.