Ordinary Grows Beauty

I recently watched this video promoting Francis and Lisa Chan's book "You and Me Forever".



The video features our friends, Mike and Sharon, who, after having three children went on to adopt nine more. Their children are growing up and some have reached adulthood and are doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God. It's easy to look at their family and think that their life must be charmed. But I know they have faced plenty of hardships and difficulties. Sharon says it in her own words in the video and this particular quote stuck with me long after the video stopped playing.

"Serving God takes a lot of submission and a lot of repetitious, unglamorous work. I think people can look at our family and see 12 vivacious kids and think, 'Wow! What a beautiful thing!' But that involved years and years of doing the same thing over and over again. You have to be willing to make yourself nothing sometimes and then He blesses those efforts in the end and makes it into something beautiful."

I love this quote because it so well describes what life really is. Behind every person doing great things for the Lord is a lot of day in and day out faithfulness. It takes me straight to the verse I have adopted as my motto for these years with children at home. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." (Zechariah 4:10) And this, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." (Luke 12:48)

Probably very few of those reading this will have 12 kids like the Dennehy clan. And none of us will have identical lives to each other. But each of us has been given much with which to be faithful. Perhaps it's your work, your family, your possessions, your ministry, your friends. We all have small beginnings in our lives; areas in which we are called to work faithfully. Things that require day in and day out, over and over again actions. Things that can seem monotonous, dull, and frustrating in the moment.

Whether or not you look closely enough at someone's life to see the mundane, it is there. I know it is present in my life. The question then is not, "Will I have to do the mundane, ordinary things to serve God?" The question is, "How can I be faithful in doing the mundane and ordinary?"

The answer? Keep on. Do the next thing and practice thankfulness. Remember your blessings and from whom they come. Be faithful even in these little things and God will make something beautiful out of the ordinary.

Enough for All?

I've been slowly making my way through Katie Davis' book Kisses from Katie. I'm reading it slowly not because it's hard to read or uninteresting, but because I'm finding that Katie has so many incredible insights that I really want to chew slowly on them.

For those who don't know of her, Katie Davis left home at as a young woman just out of high school and is pursuing God's calling as a missionary in Uganda. At the time of publication, she had adopted 13 girls and is still only in her mid 20s. She has started a non-profit organization which helps children attain the funds and supplies they need to attend school. She is doing incredible things for the Lord. And her insight into Scripture at such a young age amazes me.

Towards the beginning of the book, Katie shares this profound thought: "God did not make too many people and not enough resources to go around."

It's a simple thought that I'm sure we've all entertained, but one that I have never really put much effort into. I live a comfortable life. I have a large family to care for and work to do so on a budget. We try not to overspend, but we certainly don't lack anything. And even in years of want, the Lord has always provided all we needed and even more. The kind of life Katie describes in Uganda is completely foreign to me. I cannot imagine eating one meal a day, having only one change of clothes, suffering the pain of sores on my feet because I can't afford shoes.

And yet, Katie is completely right. God has provided enough in this world for all the people he has created. So why am I not setting a better example for my children in sharing the bounty God has lavished on us?

There's a second book I'm reading right now. It's part of the curriculum I'm doing with my two oldest children. It's a book on economics by Richard J. Maybury called Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?

Honestly, the word economics scares me. And the thought of trying to teach financial responsibility to my children is daunting. I am after all the person who really truly thought that I would continue to get money out of an ATM even though the bank account tally kept dwindling. Yeah, that's a little embarrassing to admit, but it was a good lesson for me as I struck out on my own for the first time.

Maybury has written a book that is not only understandable for someone like me, but is also a book my children are finding interesting and educational. We're combining it with some studies for kids put out by Crown Financial Ministries. Maybury spends much time in his book explaining inflation - what it is, where it comes from, what the effects are, etc.

One of the quotes I found particularly interesting was this, "At bottom, inflation is an ethics problem. The only way to stop the spread of inflation is to start the spread of ethics. After traveling in 48 states and 45 countries, I have come to believe that all major problems are problems in ethics. When we begin using ethics to attack problems, we will have real, lasting solutions."

Profound!

What this tells me as a mother, as a homemaker, as a consumer, as a woman, as an American, and as a child of God, is that the problems Katie recognizes in Uganda and the problems we are now dealing with as a nation all have the same source. It's not just that people don't know how to use money responsibly - or even how to attain money. It's that we are lacking the ethical decision making necessary to use and gain money wisely.

So, if I am to be teaching my children financial responsibility, I cannot neglect the importance of wisdom. So many proverbs written by King Solomon and included in the Bible come to mind when I think of wisdom in regards to money.

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold." Proverbs 3:13-14

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." Proverbs 3:27

"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." Proverbs 6:6, 10-11

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." Proverbs 11:3-4

"Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure." Proverbs 11:15

And here's one that speaks directly to this particular blog post:
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." Proverbs 11:24


I could go on and on quoting from the book of Proverbs. But the recurring and underlying theme is that wise dealings in money, life, and faith lead to profit in all those areas. So as I teach my children financial responsibility and point out potential pitfalls, as I seek to model for them a generous lifestyle, I must couple it with the "whys" set forth in Scripture. The "whys" of the wise.

A Few Good Books

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had started reading Mary Beth Chapman's book, Choosing to See. I have now finished the book and can say that I'd highly recommend it. It's not just a book about grief. It tells Mary Beth's story. The story of how she has repeatedly had to let go of her own agenda to let God do his great work in her life. And what a work it has been!

She writes with wonderful humor. I'm not a person that typically laughs out loud while reading - or even watching movies, for that matter - but Mary Beth shares her stories so descriptively that the giggles just bubbled up out of me. And it left me very thankful that I don't have nearly as many embarassing stories as she does!

Mary Beth also candidly shares about the pain of losing a child. The last several chapters are all blog and journal entries from the year and half following Maria's death. I was surprised at how fresh the grief was even after a year or more. But that's why this book is so important! For someone who has not faced such intense grief, it's so helpful to know that others may still be severely struggling long after their loved one has passed. So as a friend, I need to show compassion, provide a listening ear, and practice patience a I hold someone's hand through their long-term grief.

I have a few favorite quotes from the book, but since I may incorporate them into a talk for our upcoming women's retreat, I'll wait to share them.

What's next on my reading list?

First, a book that has inspired my pre-teen: Do Hard Things by Brett and Alex Harris. These two young men are calling teens to do more than society expects of them and have started a Rebelution. We asked our son to read this recently and then had him write a book report on it. Let me tell you, that was the best book report I've ever read! If you have a teen or work with teens, I'd highly recommend the book.

And next in my que: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. Mike and a friend set out to live the life of the homeless in six cities across the U.S. for over five months. I have heard him interviewed and am captivated by his story and what he learned. I can't wait to delve into this one!

Entrusted with Pain

I don't often read the dedication page in books. Occasionally I'll skim one as I'm flipping open the book. It rarely happens BEFORE I've started delving into the chapters. But for some reason, today I read a book dedication before starting the book.

I'm just beginning to read Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See. Mary Beth is the wife of popular singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman. This book is about the recent death of their young daugther and the struggle to find hope in the midst of pain. I think it's going to be a good book and I look forward to writing more about it once I've finished it.

However, before even getting to the main text, I've already been given food for thought. On Mary Beth's dedication page, one of the people she dedicates the book to is her son, Will Franklin. Sadly, he was the one driving the car that hit and killed his little sister. I can't imagine the pain and guilt he has had to work through since that tragic event. His mother writes these words in her first sentence of her dedication: "You have been entrusted with incredible pain".

What a strange thought. Entrusted with pain. Usually we see pain as an unwelcome visitor. Something that we avoid at all costs. Unpleasant. Undesireable. Something that often makes us question the goodness and even existence of God.

Yet, Mary Beth says her son has been entrusted with his pain. I looked up the definition of "entrust" in Websters.
entrust: 1. to confer a trust on; to deliver something in trust to. 2. to commit to another with confidence.

If I'm reading this correctly, Mary Beth believes that God has given this pain for her son to bear with confidence that he will bear it for Christ's glory.

Wow. That really puts a new perspective on pain.

Louie Giglio has a talk that he did on Hope and in it he speaks to using our pain as a megaphone. When you are in the midst of the greatest pain, your reaction serves as a megaphone. You can either shout out your depression, your angst, your denial of God, or you can shout out God's goodness and grace, his sustaining power and his providence in all things.

Mary Beth is admonishing her son to be a megaphone that loudly declares the latter.

And I can only pray that as I am entrusted with pain in this life that I will also use it as a megaphone to confidently call others to place their hope in my Rock, Jesus Christ.