A life changing book
Have you ever read a book and the whole time you are reading, you feel like your heart is stuck in your throat? Well, this happened to me this week. I know I am about 7 years late for this train, but I read the book Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis this past week. Katie was a talented, courageous, young 19 year old who felt God calling her to Uganda and she went. She planned to go to Uganda one year before she started college, but God had different plans for her. God invited her to stay in Africa and soon she became the mother of 14 orphans and has helped thousands of children and adults in her country.
The depth of wisdom and insight that Katie shares in her book is absolutely astounding for such a young woman. There are so many thoughts that I wanted to highlight from her book, but it was impossible because I would be highlighting almost the entire book. Here are some quotes from Katie Davis that I want to share with you to ponder today...this week...and for a lifetime.
"People often ask if I think my life is dangerous, if I am afraid. I am much more afraid of remaining comfortable. Matthew 10:28 tells us not to fear things that can destroy the body but things that can destroy the soul...I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy."
(When praying about adopting a special needs child named Grace, Katie was worried about the impact it would have on her other children. She then introduced Grace to her other children.) "Grace's sisters love her to pieces. When I was worried that she was pretty delayed because she had some 'special needs,' her sisters never saw anything different about her. They knew her only special need was love."
"The gospel of Jesus Christ changes peoples lives and their eternity. And that is worth spending my life for."
(In this part, she was discussing missing her family) "Missing things hurts my heart sometimes, but always serves as a gentle reminder to me that giving up everything really is worth it. Hard and worth it."
Ok, so I could keep writing quotes from the book, but I will stop now...go read the book! This is definitely now on my kids reading list for homeschooling this year. This book has given me hope. I feel hopeful that God can and will use my ordinary life, to impact the world in some small but invaluable way. Katie is heroic, but is an ordinary person just like me and you. The thing that makes her heroic is her willingness to say "yes" to God, even when saying yes seemed completely absurd to almost everyone in her ordinary life. This book also gives me hope for my children. As I pour into their 5 ordinary lives day in and day out, I am pouring into their character, their relationship with God and others. I am preparing them for whatever God wants to do in their lives. But God sent Katie out when she was 19!19!19! If my kids followed in footsteps similar to Katie's, that means I only have 5 more, 6 more, 7 more, etc. years with them! So my prayer today is this...God, please help every person in our family have the courage to say "yes" to You, today and every day of our lives...