Do you think one of God's initiatives for human compassion is to raise the bar? That is, to inspire leaders and visionaries with missions so large that they capture the human spirit and move us in unprecedented directions?
Visit Aspen Heights in Africa and find yourself transported into a vision of making the ordinary into extraordinary.
Recently, I saw firsthand the enthusiasm, world-class provision and expectation, and incredible skill level in the operation known as Aspen Heights. The premise is simple: revolutionize [college] student living in the US and extend that hospitality to change lives in Africa. I was watching the final countdown to the opening party in the Athens, GA complex, soon-to-be-home to UGA students who choose to be a part of something that truly raises the bar.
When God raises the bar, dots are connected across the globe because that is His view. A group of young professionals collaborate to offer a better environment to students because they know that when you treat people with dignity and respect, the best comes out. We rise to the level of how we are treated. Then they respond to God's call to carry that same ethic across the globe to an environment of abject poverty and unthinkable treatment of children and young people. The same dignity and respect are translated into new resources and opportunities that, in turn, bring out the best in a whole new generation of African youth.
We can raise the bar in our own small corner of the world. We can take our ordinary circumstances and apply extraordinary service and love and giving. God will connect all the dots as He chooses, some of which you may never see and many that you may have never anticipated. He may grow your extraordinary effort in your ordinary space to impact the world He loves so dearly.
Thank you for lending Him your extraordinary.
