Brian McLaren included an insightful poem by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador in his latest book The Secret Message of Jesus.  Romero was a martyr– assassinated in 1980 for speaking up for God’s kingdom and justice.  Here is the poem:

A Future Not Our Own

It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection…
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results…
We are prophets of a future not our own.

I like the line that goes, "We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.  This enables us to do something, and to do it very well."  Those were words I need and needed to hear.  It reminds me of how, even though we are drops in bucket (of God’s grace), we are still drops and each drop is important to Him.  Each drop can make a difference.