Several years ago after reading Purpose Driven Life, I decided that my mission in life would be to love God and to love people. I thought to myself, success at the end of my life would be for people to say at my funeral, "she loved God and she loved people." Well, apparently I am not alone in my pursuit in life. This past Friday, I attended the funeral of one who achieved this lofty goal and did it well. Dan Reiter was the victim of an unfortunate car accident. He was a young 22 who had just graduated from college. My relationship with Dan stems from my involvement in my church's student ministry. Dan and I were part of a team that went to the Dominican Republic about 6 years ago. I was a leader on the trip and Dan was one of the students. That trip was a magical time and I have experienced nothing like it ever again. We all had such a blast and saw God work in tremendous ways. The whole time I knew Dan, I was always impressed with his upbeat attitude and unending kindness towards people. He always went the extra mile to help others. His impact is far reaching as evidenced by the over 1000 comments left on his Facebook page since his death. I am so blessed to have known such a wonderful person. And now I am inspired anew to a live a life that matters; to live a life driven by the pursuit to love God and to love others. Below is a quote from Jim Elliot that was part of Dan's funeral service.
"God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you Lord Jesus." -Jim Elliot, 1948
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