Holly: Those were the closing lines of yet another inspiring sermon I heard this past Sunday. Throughout the 45-minute message a recurring theme played over and over in my head.....more like a question: What makes a hero? I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of Moses. What many people don't know is prior to his divine calling he was a convicted felon (I myself did not remember this part of the story). In addition to this he was far from a public speaker, stricken with a speech impediment. During the burning bush scenario he even BEGS God to use someone else to save his people;. Yet Moses was singlehandedly responsible for one of the greatest people revolutions in history. God saw something in Moses that he didn't see in himself. And let's not forget Paul (started out persecuting Christians but later became a huge part of the New Testament), Rahab (a prostitute), Jesus' mother Mary (a teenager!!!), Peter (kind of a big doof...denied Jesus several times but later is the leader of the church in Ephesus)...I don't really think I need to continue any further.
After church I was talking to Kevin (the pastor) and I told him that I couldn't help but think of The Hobbit/LoTR. Think about it: in The Hobbit, you have Bilbo, who is very comfortable with his food, his life, his things, and out of seemingly nowhere Gandalf shows up and whisks him away on this quest with 13 grotesque, loud, boisterous burping and food-gorging dwarves in order to reclaim their lost homeland. It drags Bilbo WAY out of his comfort zone and even has the dwarves questioning why Gandalf chose this home-loving little person for such a dangerous and unpredictable quest. In LoTR, there's Frodo: a meek young hobbit who voluntarily sends himself into danger's horrendous arms, at the mercy of a powerful little golden ring and an evil eye watching him at all times. Never mind Samwise Gamgee, who decides to go with him. Also, Aragorn: for the better part of the series he's running away from his destiny, taking the form of a ranger from the north instead of the long-awaited king of Gondor. But what you see recurring in these stories is heart. Their hearts outweigh any danger they get themselves into, that despite their sizes, they wholeheartedly strive to do right and make right in the crazy worlds they live in.
Then there's me: I fold clothes at Old Navy. I'm 22 years old, single, living with my sister and another with 2 cats, a Bachelor's degree, and little else. But I speak with the utmost of confidence when I say that I have a BIG heart! I love people so much sometimes it hurts. God sees something in me, in all of us, that we don't, and He knows what he's doing. Gandalf saw something in Bilbo, and perhaps Aragorn and Frodo too. My point in all of this is keep your heart in check, keep it full of love and life, and you never know where life will take you. The Gandalf of your life could come knocking on your door whenever you least expect it.
Kelly: I instantly think of the movie Facing the Giants. One of the football players, David, is a kicker on the team and is a small guy. Throughout the movie he often doubts his performances, isn't very confident in himself and constantly wonders why he was even allowed to be on the team. His father, who can't walk and is wheelchair bound, often tries to tell him to trust God and helps him put things into perspective. But...well I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it; just watch the movie and see what happens because he definitely redeems himself. I see a lot of David in myself. I too am a very small person. God has richly blessed me with a lot of things, but one of them was not height and that's ok. I've been in nursing school for a number of years now and am about to finish.
Things are...to be honest sort of rough right now for me. Juggling 240 clinical hours to complete, working 15 hours a week, homework and other things have put me on edge a bit. Yesterday was a particularly hard day clinical wise (read my blog about it) and I won't lie and say that we've struggled a time or two to make ends meet. But hey, who hasn't? Yet I thank God for what I do have and all He has done and all He will do, even when I'm between a rock and a hard place. Then I think of the places I've been. This time 3 years ago I was in New Orleans on a mission trip. I met all sorts of wonderful people going through different walks of life who had hearts that were just on fire for God! And these were just ordinary people who felt that God was going to do mighty things with them. And that's where I stand. I don't see it yet, I don't know it yet, but God is going to do great things to me and to those who least expect it. For all I know I could wake up tomorrow and get hit by a bus, because to be honest we never know where this life will take us as Holly said. But if we keep our eyes fixed on God, our mind open to receive what comes our way and if we trust God to give him the "bad" things, then who knows? Faith as small as a mustard seed armed with a little bit of compassion, trust and love for others could go a long way.
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