“We all want to make a difference, move mountains by faith, slay Goliaths with but five smooth stones, and leave a legacy of love and service. When we come to understand the depths and power of Christ’s love, Christians feel compelled to take that faith into action in both word and deed.”- Rev. Jeffrey Leininger
In Chapter 3 (“Diapers and Sippy Cups”) of Callings for Life, Rev. Jeffrey Leininger counsels that it’s better to understand our callings in life in the ordinary. Rather than the dramatic. Certainly, Lutheran heroes of the faith such as Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer began with faithfulness the everyday callings in their lives.
Above all, Rev. Leininger calls our attention to Rosa Young (1890- 1971). Her Christian faith served as her inspiration to bring the Gospel to the rural poor of central Alabama. As an African-American woman, Rosa Young fought the battle against injustice on three fronts. She battled racism, sexism, and the plight of the uneducated and impoverished. In addition, inspired by the Lutheran vision of parochial education, Rosa started thirty schools. She also started congregations and a college (Concordia-Selma).
Furthermore, Rosa Young wrote the following in her autobiography, titled Light in the Dark Belt:
“To serve is regarded as a divine privilege as well as a duty of every right-minded man. . . . This is a needy world; outstretched hands may be seen by thousands asking for aid. It is our duty to relieve human wants. Let us place our standard high, but be willing to do the lowest task, the most distasteful labor, be ever helpful and generous, and be ready to lend a helping hand. . . . So let us not hesitate, but grasp every opportunity that will enable us to do some good for others.”
Finally, Rosa, like Luther and Bonhoeffer, never truly set out to do anything dramatic or world-changing for God. Each began with being faithful in the smallest callings. Callings that the world sees as routine actions. But God turned those small callings around.
Today’s question: How often do you desire to slay Goliaths with five smooth stones? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Sweating the small stuff = faithfulness”
