A Daunting Task

It was perhaps that most daunting speech of William Safire’s career. In the summer of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were preparing to walk on the moon .. and the entire world would be watching.

Safire was the speechwriter for then-president Richard Nixon, and it was his job to write a speech that would capture the attention of the nation and ease the anxiety of the moment.

However, the speech that Safire undoubtedly wrestled over wasn’t one that President Nixon delivered on national television. In fact, it wasn’t delivered at all. Safire’s speech was written in case of disaster; in case something went wrong with the moon landing and the astronauts were not able to make it back to earth. And it never saw the light of day until 1999, on the 30th anniversary of the moon landing.

In Galatians (5:13), Paul writes “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

The work that we do for the kingdom, whether it is known to many or only to God, is the most important work that we will do on the earth. We, as Christians, are called to serve others, to share the Good News of Jesus, and to shower others with the love of God.

It can be hard work. It can be time-consuming. And like Safire’s speech, it can be daunting. But there is nothing we will do that will be more impressive in the eyes of God than serving Him and others, even if we traveled to the moon and back.

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