Every now and again I drive to my local coffee shop and pick up a large Café Americano from my coffee guy. I know I’m in trouble when he says to me: Fr. Ron, when I talk to M.D.’s I talk about medical things. When I talk to lawyers, I about legal things. When I talk to you…he didn’t need to fill in the blank. “So what’s the news,” I asked. He said, today a customer came to the coffee shop and told me how his daughter who had a brain tumor found that only one thing gave her comfort, one thing gave her relief…it was a cup of my coffee! “Wow,” I said, “That’s awesome.” He said, “It gets better!” His voice is now cracking, tears filling up in his eyes: “The daughter has been dead for five years. And so, to mark the occasion, the family goes and visits her tomb at the graveside, and they always bring a cup of my coffee!” He stops for a moment and then gaining his composure, continues: “The father told me, that I may think that my life may not matter much, selling coffee, but to his family it means a lot!” Rolling back the tear in my own eye, I tell him: “Amen, brother, Amen!”

What difference does all this make? Simply this: You never know your worth to another person. God uses a guy who sells coffee to give hope and relief to a dying person and to a family...who knew? The same is true for the rest of us. Such is God's hope.