Every day writing my Compassion child, who lives in Burkina Faso, West Africa, is on my to-do list. And every day it gets moved to the next day. This has been going on for months . . . and months, since I came back from visiting her in last November.
Yes, it’s been that long.
My guilt is real, and I feel it. But that doesn’t make me write. Neither does thinking about Burkina and my child every single day. Every time I turn on the water and remember that she does not have clean water or every time I visit Walmart and become disgusted by my own consumption.
No, none of this makes me write, not even my cries to Jesus to come soon because she needs Him – I need Him.
Instead I just try to comfort myself by rationalizing my procrastination. “Oh, she doesn’t remember me” or “My letter doesn’t really matter that much to her” or “I’m only One clear across the world.”
I mentioned my months of not writing to my husband, and he just looked at me. Then he said this, “Brenda, writing to her is more important than all this other stuff you’re doing”.
Conviction set in deep.
I have not been a good steward of this child God has given me.
Last week another team from my church made a short-term mission trip to Burkina Faso. They planned to visit the Compassion site where my child attends.
So a week earlier I got out a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and filled it with gifts I thought she would like. A t-shirt – she always could use a new t-shirt. The composition book I received from Dayspring to review along with some fun colored gel pens. A small bottle of nailpolish. A letter written in English that I hoped someone could translate for her. And a picture of she and I when we met for the first time.
I wanted her to like the bag of goodies, but for me it was more of a peace-offering. I wanted to tell her that I am sorry. I felt a little better.
I drove to the church and dropped off the bag with a friend who was going on the trip. I asked her to please give it to my sweet Compassion child.
The next Wednesday night, after my friend had arrived in Burkina Faso, I opened up Facebook. The team was blessed with a wonderful internet connection on their trip, and we were the ones who benefited. Each day they posted up-to-the minute pictures and stories.
One picture surprised me. I was tagged in it with this caption:
“Brenda! We were walking through the village today and this girl came running up to me with picture in her hand. I looked at it and it was YOU with a Compassion letter you had written her!! I screamed, “That’s my friend” and I think I frightened her. We go to compassion tomorrow. So excited!!”
It was my Compassion child. My Compassion child running through the village with a picture of my husband and me.
Uncontrollably tears streamed down my face as I looked at her holding the picture. The picture of me.
Instantly “only One” mattered.
Often times we dismiss the voice of the Holy Spirit urging us to make that phone call or send that card or write that email or give that gift under the lie that we are “only One”. What possibly could only One matter? What possibly could only One make different? What possibly could only One change?
Then there is a girl, running through a village in Africa, carrying your picture.
And you realize that only One doesn’t matter, but only One under the sovereignty of God does.
You may never see a the person God’s led you to serve holding a picture of you. You may never get a thank-you whispered from their lips. You may always wonder if you truly matter.
But know that if you are being obedient to God’s small voice, then you are not the only One. He is orchestrating His purposes far more than you or I can conceive. He makes you a steward so that His hands and feet become real to those around you.
Today’s Challenge: Be obedient to God’s small voice. Don’t listen to your own voice telling you that you are “only One”. Just do whatever He is prompting you to do anyway – even if it’s a little inconvenient or hard or scary. He will provide all that you need when you obey. He wants to use you because you matter – to someone.
What do you tend to put-off under the belief that you are “only One”?
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