In an inspiring school chapel service, athletic director and teacher, Marc Khedouri, announced an amazing initiative for Wesleyan School to “do something beautiful for God.” Throughout his devotion, Mr. Khedouri emphasized the power of giving away to those in deep need. We should be grateful for the life we have and illustrate God’s blessings by helping in our community and beyond.

Mr. Khedouri began his talk by retelling two incidents in which he felt God pushing him to provide for someone in need. He had begun to notice a man walking by the local gas station every day. After realizing the man worked at the school cafeteria and listening to his life story, Mr. Khedouri gave the man his very own Jeep Cherokee for a single dollar. He weighed the needs of someone else above his own and realized how great an impact that car would have on one person.

Later, Mr. Khedouri was in a local drug store when he witnessed a customer who could not afford all of his prescriptions. Mr. Khedouri realized how fortunate he was to be able to meet his own needs and decided to pay to fill the man’s medicine bottles without his knowing. He did something beautiful for a stranger that would never know who exactly helped him but would carry the blessing for a long time.

After sharing his heartfelt stories, Mr. Khedouri turned the focus on his audience of students, teachers, and staff. How could we make a beautiful impact in the world for God? How could we put our own desires behind someone else’s needs?

To further spark this incentive to serve, Mr. Khedouri announced that every person in the high school audience, roughly 600 people, would receive an envelope. Inside that envelope would be a $100 bill with a stamp that reads “Do Something Beautiful For God.” He explained that his hope was that every person could take that money and help someone in true need.

The chapel was silent at this point; every person was surprised at one man’s generous idea. He went on to share that this sum of $60,000 came from his own contribution, as well as donations from friends who jumped at his proposal. The money did not come from tuition dollars, but instead from people who believed that one high school could influence the world. Nobody did anything to deserve the $100, but Mr. Khedouri gave it away as a representation of God’s love. He gifted us with the money unassured but hoping we would use it wisely, in the same way God gives us life in the hopes we will do something beautiful with it.

Mr. Khedouri reiterated his goal for every high schooler, teacher and staff member, with a quote by missionary Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” One by one, every envelope was handed out in the prayer that every dollar would make something beautiful for God.

As soon as the chapel was over, students were buzzing with excitement. We all wanted to find a way to use that money to impact someone in the world or in our own community. It’s definitely not easy to coordinate charity work among hundreds of people; however, Mr. Khedouri’s message was surely heard that day. By receiving a $100 bill, each student was given the opportunity to either be selfish or to do something beautiful for God.