Make a Difference.  By Tracey Olson.

Today I went to the funeral of a lady that made a difference in my life. Actually, she made a difference in my eternity. As I read the obituary of Majorie Ann Gable, age 83, it listed the typical things that appear in most obituaries. Where she was born, her schools, achievements, family and career. It told about her husband and children and how she was wonderful at baking pies, quilting and loved being a grandmother. The part I was excited to read was when it said,

“Marge loved the Lord and there was not a question about the Bible that she could not answer or know where to find it,”   ….. but where was the most important part about this lovely lady?

To me, Mrs. Gable loved to share Jesus with others. She lived down the road from us when I was about 9 and my brother was 10. She had a son named Donny that was also 10 and he and my brother, after 50 years, are still friends to this day. The part that made a difference in my life and so many others was that Mrs. Gable’s mission in life was to share the love of Jesus. She invited us to church and youth group. She helped me learn my first scripture verse, and my brother and I know that because of Mrs. Gable, we both had seeds planted that later drew us to the point of accepting Christ as our savior. Her life truly made a difference in the lives of others.

None of you may even know Mrs. Gable, but most of us have heard of Joey Chestnut or Ernest Hemingway. Joey Chestnuts’ mission in life was to be the most successful competitive eater in the history of the world. His net worth is over $3 million for breaking the world record of eating the most hotdogs. He ate 83 hotdogs in 10 minutes. That’s more than 1 every 8 seconds and a consumption of over 20,000 calories in just 10 minutes!

We surely have heard of Ernest Hemingway. He started his career as a novelist but most of his writing came from all his adventures. He lived in Spain, Paris, Key West, Cuba and Idaho. Sadly, Hemingways’ life ended in suicide, and his life reminds us that living an adventurous life is not the same as living a fulfilled life. Having the applause of man, or a title for the most competitive eater, cannot compare to having the peace of God.

Knowing the Lord is the essence of living and sharing it with others makes a difference.

Thinking back on the lives of these three people reminded me of the little story of how small people doing small things change the world.  The story is titled “You Made a Difference”.

There is a story of an old man walking along the beach with his grandson. The boy picked up each starfish they walked by and threw it back into the sea. The boy said, “If I leave them on the beach they will dry up and die.” The old man protested that the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish. He argued that what the boy was doing wouldn’t make a difference. The boy looked at the one in his hand, gently threw it back into the ocean and said, “I made a difference to that one.”

Hearts Being Healed Ministry makes a difference in lives. They hold a one-day Womens conference where ladies tell their story of how Jesus made a difference in their lives. It’s so encouraging to have other ladies come along beside you and share in how they made it through heartache, loss, or trauma that you may be dealing with. WE would love if you could join us at the next conference in Chico and let us make a difference in your life.

DATE:   Saturday, March 15, 2025

VENUE:  Neighborhood Church of Chico, 2801 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, CA 95928

Online registration is now open at https://chico.heartsbeinghealed.org/chico/speakers-schedule/

Find more information on our website. Also follow our Hearts Being Healed Conferences Facebook page for information and updates specific to the conference.