"Increase Our Faith" - India Sermon

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking my 4th and final sermon for this 4.5 month stint in India. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about faith and some new things as I prepped for this sermon. When my preparation began, the sermon was about Gideon...then Gideon became one of the illustrations but no longer the central focus...then he was removed altogether as the focus went elsewhere! Thus encapsulates my typical preparation process for any sermon in which I must choose the topic.

Below is the sermon draft, from which I deviated slightly as I spoke. I hope that in reading it the Lord may enrich and bless you:

Have you ever desired greater faith? Have you ever come to a point where you realized just how small your faith was? And you yearned for greater faith? I think that is a healthy realization, and the desire for greater faith is good...but a desire that can still be refined.

I just finished reading the biography of Oswald Chambers, author of “My Utmost for His Highest” and one of the great Christian leaders and writers of the past century. In reading his biography, my admiration for him grew even further. As I read through his biography over the past month or two, I thought to myself, “I wish I could have faith like that!” I see in Oswald Chambers, as well as many Christian leaders of yesterday and today, a faith that is so inviting and desirable. I see it in Abraham in the book of Genesis. Moses, David, and every person listed in Hebrews chapter 11. And as I study the lives of these men and women of great faith, there is something inside of me that cries, “Lord, increase my faith!”

I think that some of that desire for greater faith is good, but some of it may be falling short of what God would prefer for me to desire. The 12 disciples themselves asked this of Jesus, to increase their faith. So let’s turn to Luke 17 and examine closely Jesus' response to the request of His disciples to increase their faith.

Scripture: Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

 

The disciples and Jesus are having a conversation. In verses 1-4 that precede this request for more faith, Jesus has just commanded the disciples to do something truly hard: forgive. And not just once. But to forgive someone even if they continue to sin against you and ask for forgiveness. The disciples response is very interesting and probably similar to ours today: in order to obey such a difficult command the disciples ask for more faith. But Jesus gives an interesting reply to the disciples in this passage.

 

We might have expected him to show them how to increase their faith, or perhaps breathe greater faith into them. But instead of showing them how or miraculously granting greater faith, Jesus instead says “if you had faith as a mustard seed,” you could do mighty works. It was probably not the answer the disciples were hoping for, but it was exactly the answer that they, and we, need. In fact, Jesus’ answer was the perfect response, because it leads us as His disciples to understand the nature of faith, the nature of our God, and the nature of our relationship with Him.

1.       Power in Small Faith – v. 6

Jesus often referred to our faith as being like a mustard seed, and it was always an encouragement, for at least a couple reasons. The mustard seed was an example of one of the smallest of all seeds. Yet, when planted in fertile soil, it could grow into a large bush with mighty branches that even birds could nest in. What an encouragement that when we are convicted of being “ye of little faith,” that it is not a pronouncement of final condition. Instead, it is a declaration of our current status—having little faith—but like the mustard seed, a faith with great potential. We are meant to be growing toward our Lord Jesus, and He makes our tiniest faith into something great.

Though this is an encouragement to me, I do not believe that growing faith is what Jesus is referring to in verse 6 when he says, “if you had faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that once your faith has grown into the mighty mustard branches, THEN your faith can produce great works. I believe He is saying that even now, when your faith is still as small as they eye can see, even NOW your faith has that power. This is a critically important answer from our Lord to His disciples asking for greater faith. It gets at the heart of who we are in relation to God and the proper perspective of our faith in Christ.

John Piper has these comments on this passage:

“God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God's free initiative and power.”

You see, the disciples were viewing great faith as being the gateway to great things. But Jesus was saying that we don’t need increased faith...we need to understand that our tiny faith is enough because of Him.

To illustrate the roles of our faith and God’s faithfulness, and the importance of each, let us examine the mathematical concept of infinity. The concept of infinity refers to something without limit, a number so large that it is beyond counting. It is endless. In mathematics any positive number multiplied by infinity equals infinity. Infinity times 1 equals infinity. Infinity times 100 equals infinity. Soon we discover that the number being multiplied by infinity matters much less than infinity itself. This is what Jesus is getting at when He says that “if you had the faith of a mustard seed” you could do amazing and miraculous things! He is saying that whether your faith is 1 or 100, it is the power of God that makes it miraculous.

Do you ever catch yourself having these thoughts?: "If only I had greater faith, I could do this, or God would do that." But our focus has become our own personal faith. If our focus is on the size of our faith, our focus is off Christ. We are to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

We must realize that our faith by itself causes nothing to happen. We cannot say to God in our faith, “Look, I have the faith of a mustard seed,” or “Look, I have greater faith than even that, and because of my faith you MUST do this.” No, no, no. Instead, God chooses to allow us to take part in His purposes. God CHOOSES to work through our faith. Our faith without God choosing to use it, would be powerless. But instead, God—the one who is faithful—has promised to honor our faith and work through it to glorify Himself and accomplish His purposes.

I would like to share with you a story from my childhood. When I was a boy, about 5 years old, I would go with my father and grandfather into the forest to make a load of firewood. In the northern U.S. many homes are heated by burning firewood in a furnace. I would go with them because I liked to be outdoors, because it was an adventure to go into the forest with them and see new birds, deer, and other animals. I would go because I actually enjoyed the work of my hands and arms and legs in laboring to produce a truckload of firewood. But these were all secondary. I went mostly just to be with my father and grandfather. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from these times. My father and grandfather were skilled and hardworking. They would cut and split every piece of wood into small enough pieces to handle, then they would load them into the truck, and finally after transporting the load, they would unload it at our destination. I helped them with each of these...but how much help can a 5 year old boy be? The truth is that they did 99% of the work, but I was quite happy to do my 1%, and so were they. My father would tell me at the end of the day how much he appreciated my work and that he couldn’t have done it without me. It was always “WE” split a load of firewood. My father and grandfather did not NEED me to help. But they WANTED me to help. It have them joy and it gave me joy, too.

I believe our faith journeys with the Lord and in doing His works on this earth are very similar to my childhood experience of helping my father and grandfather cut firewood. God does not NEED us to help Him do anything. Our faith is not the source of His miraculous works. But we are blessed to be called God’s children! And because of that He absolutely desires for us to join Him. Yes, to do the work…but as with me and my father and grandfather, the work was quite secondary. Just being in each other’s presence was the main purpose. And so, how gracious is our Lord, and loving! That He allows us and our faith to take part in His mighty works. God does the 99% and is capable of doing all 100%, but He allows us to come beside Him like His 5-year old child and contribute our 1% with our mustard seed-sized faith.

Do your mustard-seed’s worth. Do it to your uttermost! But never forget that the power is of God and not of us. Not the size of our faith, but the size of our God is what creates mighty works.

2.       Seeking Christ Above All

I mentioned earlier that if our focus is on our faith, it is off Christ. It is simple to say, but just like the disciples in Luke 17, we ourselves will be tempted to have our focus migrate toward ourselves and the size of our faith. As we have just studied, Jesus corrects the disciples understanding of faith and how God chooses to work though it. But Jesus also addresses the root desire at the heart of our request for more faith, revealing the vanity of seeking our own greater faith and instead the supremacy of seeking Christ. And although asking for faith, or love, or peace, or joy, or successful ministry, or any number of things may be good things to ask of God, there is one greater thing to desire: simply Christ Himself. The disciples’ response to having to do a hard thing to obey God was “we need more faith.” If I had more faith, I could obey...if I had more faith I could do this or that...If I had more faith I could walk more closely to the Lord. But they had it backwards. What produces faith in a child of God is nearness and knowing Christ. To know the Lord more intimately—that is the only legitimate pursuit that leads to greater faith!

Let me be clear: Hebrews 11:6 reveals that "without faith it is impossible to please God." But that faith was never meant to be pursued as a means to our own ends, but instead as the fruit of pursuing and knowing Christ. The disciples had let the pursuit of faith replace Jesus as the central object of their desire. In this moment, they were seeing greater faith as the gateway to obedience to God and doing great things. And although they desired a good thing, the insatiable desire for more, more, more of anything except Christ alone had revealed a spiritual lust within them.

Oswald Chambers: “Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer.”

I will admit that when I’m reading about Oswald Chambers, or Abraham, or many great examples of faith, I want to have that kind of faith right now! And the desire to have a closer walk with the Lord that produces such faith is pure, but the part that “must have it at once,” is rooted in lust. Spiritual lust. We must guard against such spiritual lust, or spiritual discontent. And the greatest guard is turning our focus of off good things like faith, and onto the greater thing, which is Christ Himself. This is a subtle difference, but central to pursuing Christ.  I am NOT saying that we must make a choice: either faith or Christ. That is nonsense. What I am saying is that if we pursue faith or any other thing, however good, as our chief desire, we will miss Christ. But if we pursue Christ as our chief desire, we will be given faith that moves mountains.

There is a story of a king with three sons, triplets. Under the law of the land, each had equal right to the throne. When the three sons had grown, the king gave each of them three options to prove himself worthy of the throne. To each he said: “Choose one of the following: Spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal process from our chief law makers, or spend a month at my side.” The first son answered, “I shall spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to defend and conquer.” The second son answered, “I shall spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal system from our chief law makers, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to govern and rule the people according to law.” But the third son answered, “I shall spend a month at your side every moment, for surely of utmost importance to understanding a kingdom is knowing its king.” The third son had chosen wisely and was selected as the next rightful king. In knowing the king, he came to know the art of war. In knowing the king, he came to know the law and how to govern the people. In knowing the king, he came to know much deeper and greater things than even these.

I believe that we are in similar positions. (Not as successors to a king, for our King rules and reigns forever. Yet, the Bible does call us heirs of the Kingdom. Co-heirs with Christ.) When our chief desire is to have greater faith, we aim for a good thing, but not the best. Just like the first and second sons who aimed at a specific portion of kingship, but missed the greater thing of knowing and understanding their king. Let us be like the third son, who chose simply to pursue and know his king. Jesus instructed, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these will be added to you as well” (Matt 6:33). As we seek Christ first and above all, we will find that great faith will be added to us as well.

It is not as though we should not pursue faith, or hope, or love, or any number of great Christ-filled attributes. It is simply to beware that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and because of this, we are tempted to pursue what is good, such as faith, in place of what is best, which is Christ.  We are tempted to replace the central thing—Christ—with the things that exist only because of Him.

By responding to the disciples’ desire for greater faith in this manner, Jesus is leading them in the only path of righteous faith: Pursing and knowing Christ ever more intimately.

Conclusion

Let us as Jesus’ disciples today hear Him. Let us read Luke 17:5-6 and the accounts of so many faith filled Christ followers, and remember Jesus response to the desire for greater faith:

- Remove our focus from the size of our faith and onto Jesus Christ, our infinite God.

- And never let what is good and exists because of Christ replace the only Way, Truth, and Life. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Each of us will likely soon feel that desire for greater faith, or greater joy, or greater love, or greater ministry. But the next time we feel the desire for any fruit of the Holy Spirit, let us resolve to pursue one thing alone: let us choose to get to know our King. He is a good King. And He has invited you to be at his side today and forever. I pray that you accept His invitation. Amen.

Interpreting a Dream

During the holidays, I have had the joy of getting to know our college-aged girls a little better. In addition to discovering their senses of humor and talents for singing, cooking, or others, I have been blessed to have some good conversations. During this time, these girls have really become little sisters to me.

One of our girls told me of the dream she had the night before. I will attempt to relay her description as accurately as possible: God had descended and clothed everyone He chose in pink. I thought that was a little humorous, but then I remembered that her favorite color is pink. She looked around her and didn’t know anyone else clothed in pink. Then God and his angel went back into heaven and left everyone in pink here.

A pretty simple dream. But her questions to me about the dream I believe were the exact questions the Lord was leading her to ask. She first said, “Why did He choose me?” She had some difficulty expressing it, but eventually articulated how special she felt for being one clothed in pink and chosen by God. Her next question was, “..and why did He leave me here?” I nodded, then smiled, knowing that I once asked the same question in a very different circumstance. Then I told her as much.

I asked her, “You remember my testimony, right?” She replied, “Oh yes. Your testimony taught me very much.” I then recounted to her that at my lowest point of greatest pain, I asked God with all sincerity to let me die and enter the rest of Heaven. But He said, “no.” What He revealed to me in that time, which struck me more sharply than all the pain I was in, was that He only left me here because He had purpose that remained for my life on earth. And the day, the moment, that my purpose has been fulfilled, I will immediately enter His presence in Heaven. Therefore, every day that I wake up once again, every breath that I draw, has God’s divine purpose behind it. I assured her that we had the same question…and the same answer: purpose.

She repeated a single word to me: “Purpose,” as her demeanor and expression changed into a fascinating combination of resignation, contentment, and deep satisfaction. She smiled. Then we were interrupted (a continual occurance in India, perhaps the subject of another post). The conversation was over.

A simple dream. From the Lord? I believe so. And perhaps He has used me to help to partially interpret her dream, such that she never forgets that God has purpose for her life. Every day. Every breath. And the great news is that the same is true for you and me. I pray that you have that same assurance of purpose this very day. May the Lord turn your countenance into contentment and deep satisfaction, just as He did for my little Indian sister. Amen.

Finishing Christmas in India

Phil 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Well, my Christmas week this year is one of the most unique I have experienced. After all, this is my first Christmas outside the US!

I had the privilege of preaching in church on Christmas morning. I realized that although I don’t preach much in the U.S., I get the opportunity often in India, and this year I preached both on my birthday and Jesus’ observed birthday. Pretty cool. The topic was “Missing Jesus,” and it went as well as I could have hoped, given the minimal amount of time I was able to prep.

But the best part of my Christmas was spending several days away from the city and very near to our oldest girls’ home. Sitting on top of the guest house in the cool mornings or evening, taking in the peaceful scenery or crystal clear night sky, getting ample rest and peace and quiet…to quote the Christmas carol: these are a few of my favorite things. And on the evening of Christmas, as well as the days that followed, the Lord blessed me abundantly with quality time with our girls.

For 3 days, I was 2 things: older brother and teacher. On Christmas day, I gifted our girls a world globe and told them about when I was growing up and I had a globe. I would close my eyes and spin the globe as fast as I could, then plunge my finger down onto the surface, abruptly stopping the speeding globe, often pointing to some fanciful, exotic place that I had never known existed nor ever hoped to see. Sometimes my finger would stop on India. As I recalled that portion, they gave out an “ooo” of delight, which I had not expected. I told them that I had wondered what India was like and decided that I would never go there. Wrong!

Finally, I told them that a person never knows where God might send them. Then they each took turns spinning the globe, eyes closed, and “discovering” where the Lord might take them.  Russia, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, many African countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada were of those that were “discovered” with curiosity and delight.  And even a couple of girls landed on the U.S., bringing the biggest smiles and exclamations. It was a wonderful time.

The rest of the week, in addition to playing many games, I tutored our 5^th-12^th graders in the subjects of algebra, geometry, chemistry, physics, general science, and English. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more. Below is a picture of the board at the end of the physics session. Nerd alert: I must say that to my eyes, there is a certain beauty in meaningful equations and theorems written on a chalkboard!

 

Finally, on my last evening with them before having to travel back into the city, we were down to our final hour together. I told them, “We have one hour. What would you like to do?” To my surprise, “message” was the popular response. They wanted me to preach? (You should know that this wasn’t because my sermon on Christmas was particularly powerful or special. I rated it a C minus.) Many thoughts ran through my mind. How many teenagers would you expect to ask to be preached to if they only had 1 hour with a person who is not a preacher?  It soothes my heart to see how hungry our girls are for the Word of God and how readily they receive it.

Well, if you know me, you know that if anyone voices a desire for Biblical teaching, I can’t help but at least try. So I thought for about 30 seconds and realized this was very similar to our littlest girls asking for a Bible “story” unexpectedly a few weeks ago. So I decided to go with Gideon again. Except this time, we could dive into it a little heartier than just story telling.

The easiest way to preach in the whole world, in my opinion, is a scripted sermon through an interpreter. While they are interpreting, you can read your next line, look up, and deliver every word that you have chosen exactly. It’s virtually unnoticeable. But easiest doesn’t mean best.  Now, I took several hours to prepare for the Christmas sermon (though much less than normal). I wrote every line prior to speaking (well, most of the lines). And on this night in our girls’ home, I took 30 seconds to prepare and went completely off the cuff…and it was better by leaps and bounds than my Christmas sermon. Sure, with a few hours of prep it could be polished and improved, cross-referenced and summarized with punch, word-smithed and flow established.  But the Lord reinforced something in me through that experience. He is enough. His Spirit is present. He is ever faithful. He is the Teacher.

I don’t know if I’ll go scripted or go extemporaneous in my next sermon in India. Both have been blessed by the Lord at different times, and I’ve struggled with both at different times. But I do know that whatever the approach, it is God who makes the sermon powerful. It is also comforting to know that there is at least one sermon that I can go to “in season and out of season,” (expected or unexpectedly): Gideon. I must thank my Sunday School teacher and classmates back in the U.S. for allowing God to use them to burn the application of Gideon’s life into my brain in such a way.

Finally, since I’m on the topic of preaching. I am often asked in the days leading up to a day that I am preaching, “Have you finished your sermon?” My response has come from experience, “It’s never finished.” What I mean by that is that even when I think it’s finished, the Lord never ceases to change it. Every day and especially the night before, it changes. In fact, it also always changes somewhere between standing up to approach the pulpit and the words leaving my mouth! I thank the Lord for that. I think being a little “out of control” ensures that the Holy Spirit is still taking the control. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t for lack of trying to get it all done and perfect beforehand! But thoughts enter my mind while delivering the sermon that illuminate points that I hadn’t even thought of before. That is a lot of fun to experience, but also a little unnerving because I’m not always sure how it’s all going to tie back in together. And sometimes (I chuckle as a write) it does dead end and I have to reset back on track.

But the Lord hit me with a realization the other day, after being asked yet again if my sermon was finished. I started praying about that. And I had a revelation. I had told the person that the sermon is only finished when the last word is spoken, as we both chuckled. I meant it. But what a sad ending if that is where it ends! No, my prayer now is for an ever-unfinished sermon. A sermon that Lord continues to finish in the hearts and minds of the listeners as they walk through life that week, month, or even years. In fact, the sermons that have impacted me most…they still aren’t finished…as the Lord continues to use them in my life.

My personality type has a quest for conclusion. Finishing. Completing. Achieving. Marking off the list. And so I have always approached preaching in the same way. I search with my whole soul for the end of the sermon and have an almost restless inner stirring until it has been spoken. My prayer has often been for the Lord to help me finish it. Well, I now pray the same words, “Lord, help me finish this sermon,” but with an entirely different meaning.  I now look expectantly to give unfinished sermons. I pray that every sermon, teaching, and interaction I have with another human being remains unfinished…simply because God is still working in them through it.

And such is life with Christ. Ever being finished, never finished. Ever being sanctified, awaiting that glorious day when we enter our Lord’s perfect rest and completion in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus cried out on the cross before His last breath, “It is finished.” What a glorious declaration! And as Jesus has completed His redeeming work on the cross, as He completes every work He begins (Phil 1:6). I want to encourage you today to know that in the bounds of time, you and I may not yet be finished, but in the timeless existence of our Lord, He is proclaiming over you, “It is finished.” May we walk in such assurance and liberty with our Savior. Amen.

Spilling Over

In my last post, I alluded to another experience from last week that was especially enjoyable for a chemical-engineer-by-training and teacher-at-heart. I am pleased to have the opportunity to share today:

Recently, we were having a Christmas party with our youngest girls. While all sitting down to enjoy our dinner together for this special occasion, one of our littlest spilled her drink right in front of me. Very quickly, I reached over and threw some napkins on top, so as to minimize the devastation (30 little children tracking around sticky soda can be devastation!). For adults, this is a very routine event; however, for these children it was a perfect teaching opportunity.

As the top napkin began to slowly become wet, starting from the center outwards, I heard several of our girls start to gasp and say "Will dada, look!" A few things raced through my mind that may be right in front of me. To my comfort and surprise, it was simply the napkin displaying the principle of wicking. A site that many of our girls were studing with wonder.

For those who know me, you can already guess that this "routine spill" became an instant classroom. I took the opportunity to tell one of our 11-year-olds about the principle of wicking. How tiny spaces inbetween paper particles became like little straws that drew the water along. Part two of the lesson was taking what we could see with our eyes in the napkin and applying it to what is more difficult to see in trees and their roots. I explained to her that trees soak up water from the soil because of the same principle. We talked about capilaries, wicking, and how important it is for the tree to live.

When I get into a conversation like that, even with an adult, at some point I always realize that I have gone into a little bit more detail than they would ever care to hear in their entire lives. So even with this little one, I wondered how much she herself was soaking up and retaining. Her expressions were very matter of fact, so I could not tell.

But when she turned to one of her sisters and began explaining point by point, detail by detail, what was happening, and then explained how trees work the same way, I was thrilled! The greatest test to see if you have learned something is to try to explain it to someone else. The response from the other little girl was quite commical, and one that I have received myself countless times when trying to explain a scientific or engineering concept to someone who has other priorities at the time. The other girl looked at her and said, "I just need a napkin," as she held out her hand somewhat impatiently. I laughed out loud! What also made me laugh is that my scientist-in-training began to hold the napkin hostage and would only give her sister the napkin if she would listen to the entire explanation. At the end, she asked if her sister had understood. She said, "Yes, yes, ok. Will you give me a napkin now?" Yep, take heart little scientist-in-training and teacher-at-heart, you and I will have many of these experiences in our lives.

I loved this interaction more than because it was a successful teaching moment for me with one of our girls, but because it revealed quite a bit about my little scientist in training. I had known that science was her favorite subject, but now I know that she likely has been granted the gift of teaching (still in development, no doubt). I recognized her response of immediately seeking to share and explain what she has learned. And as I saw how important it was for her to not only fully explain but also be fulfilled by her "student" demonstrating an understanding, I realized how similar she and I really are, in that respect. Truly an endearing moment for me.

It all started with a spilled drink, a potential disaster. Before it was over, it was a precious moment. And one more thing brought it full circle for me. When I was about 8 years old, I remember sitting at the island in the kitchen of my childhood home when my father took a napkin and dipped the corner in a puddle of spilled water. To my delight the water began to move across the entire napkin quite magically. And that is the day my dad taught me about wicking and surface tension, something I would study in much, much greater detail over a decade later (sometimes painful detail!). In the moment this week when I realized that our girls were looking in that same amazement as I did as an 8-year-old boy, I myself was thrilled to propogate the learning experience.

Finally, the most sureal thought is this: Perhaps this little scientist in training will one day remember the day that Will dada taught her about wicking and trees as she teaches her little one the same thing. I know I am not this precious child's father, but what a privilege to see how our Father in Heaven has allowed me to be a part of His family, a son of the King sharing life with daughters of the King. I pray that she continues to learn, continues to teach, and most of all continues to love the Lord her God. I pray the same things for you and me. Amen.


P.S. Prayer request: I'll be preaching in church on Christmas morning, definitely a first for me. I've started asking for just three things when I preach: Simplicity, Clarity, Power. Please pray with me for these!

"A Future and a Hope"

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the  Lord , thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

The past few weeks have been very busy. Thus a long gap between posts. We have had the privilege of hosting partners and friends from the U.S. who have come to see how God is working through us in India and to minister to our staff and children in our care. This past week contained a couple stories special to this chemical-engineer-by-training and teacher-at-heart. This post is just one of those stories, but stay tuned in the coming days to hear the other.

We often ask our girls what they want to be when they grow up. It is fun to watch how they determine what they want to be, as well as how those things change (or don't change) over time. One of our girls continues to want to be a police officer year after year, and I believe she will be one day! Some of our girls have expressed that they want to be teachers, and in reply two of our littlest have expressed that they desire to be principals. I chuckled out loud to see that interaction. Sort of a "you may have seniority now, but one day I'll be your boss!" I have no doubt that at least one of these little ones will one day be principal and "rule the roost." And one of the sweetest responses which comes primarily from our youngest girls is simply to be a "servant of God." I have yet to determine if in their minds this means that they do not know what profession they will follow, that they want to be in vocational ministry, or something else...but whatever is behind that response, it is sweet to hear.

For the first time, many of our girls are expressing interest in becoming engineers, and those numbers continue to grow. Many of these girls come from a place where basic education was in question and their concept of a future was extremely limited, if not unfathomable. It is so great to see these children begin to grasp that there is no limit to what God can and will do through them, including what education or career to which He may call them. In addition, it is such a blessing to see them excelling in the scholastic subjects in which they are gifted such that those dreams may be achieved.

One of our middle school girls has continued to be the only one to say "I don't know" when asked what she wants to be when she grows up. I have been paying special attention, looking forward to seeing her little mind at work in the day that she first expresses what she may want to pursue, even though at that age it is likely to change. Well, this week was it, and what a blessing to hear her soft voice speak these words: "chemical engineer," as she shyly stole an almost imperceivable glance at me. Man, I felt like a million bucks.

What makes this perhaps even more precious to me is that she probably has a very limited idea as to what a chemical engineer does or what a person must do to train for that profession. And this child might not have even heard of chemical engineering until it became known to all of our girls that I was one. But with the combination of seeing her older sisters setting their sites on their own engineering goals (of a different discipline) and knowing my educational and work experience, this special girl felt confident to whisper the fragile initial dream to become a chemical engineer. That's all that it was...a whisper...perhaps to be swept away by God's true calling in her life, or perhaps to be strengthened into a shout. But whatever God's will, it is my blessing to watch Him work in her life, to watch her formulate her first career dreams, and of course to feel honored by her choosing my own initial career path. I had just told a friend that I'm waiting for the day that one of our girls first says "chemical engineer" as her career dream and that would be a special day. Well, that special day came that same week.

Perhaps you will join me in praying for each of these precious girls, their career dreams, and direction from God along His paths. May the God of all grace grant us all the boldness to dream, the means to achieve, and the direction to walk in His perfect will. Amen.