Witness the Impossible

“God wants me to build orphanages in India.” How would you respond if your child came home and surprised you with this revelation? Would you answer, “Yes, let’s start today,” or would you try to redirect them to a more attainable goal. It is true that all things are possible with God, but how often have we actually witnessed the impossible?

“Why do you and mom always make God so small?”

Regular Folks

The book of Acts in the New Testament is filled with the stories of regular folks. Yes, the Apostles were regular folks. They were fishermen, tax accountants, prostitutes, and even a tent maker. They didn’t have friends in high places, but they did have a fire in their hearts that changed the world. I have witnessed God using regular folks to make a difference. 

God reminds me of this fact almost everywhere I go around our house. Lizzy taught elementary school for over 30 years in our community. She changed the lives of 100’s of kids and families. It happens all the time, over and over again, in restaurants, in grocery stores, everywhere. For example, at a visit to a baseball statium, a twenty-something, young man approached us and said, “Do you remember me?” She looked in his face and after a few seconds said, “Joshua, what happened? You were just in first grade yesterday.” She gave him a big hug and he told us what a difference she made in his life. 

This reminds me of the time when my 23-year-old daughter, Chandler, came home and told Lizzy and I, “Now, I know what God wants me to do. He wants me to build an orphanage in India.” I looked at her and said, in the best fatherly voice I could manage, “Chandler, I don’t want you to be disappointed, but this is not going to happen. Why don’t you pick a more practical goal, like sponsoring an orphan?” She looked at her mother and I and said, “Why do you and mom always make God so small?” Then, Chandler and the youth group went to work building bunk beds for an orphanage… in India…  though they did not yet have a practical plan to build one. 

Seeing the Impossible

The next week Chandler came home and told us that God really wanted 10 orphanages the first year and it was “only” going to cost $25,000 per orphanage. Only $250,000! “Wow, really?” They even got someone to donate the mattresses for the bunk beds. (Her future husband.) Very naive, right? Then, Lindsey, a member of the youth group, was invited on the game show Minute to Win It. You guess it. She won $250,000! Since then, they have built and opened 100’s of orphanages in India. And, they are still building, with a new 100 bed orphanage opening this month. Praise God! 

My daughter taught me a lesson. God still uses regular folks to accomplish the impossible, just like in book of Acts. I pray that your response is better than my initial response. I encourage you to fan the flames that God ignites in the hearts of your children. Who knows, in so doing, you might just witness the impossible.

“‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’”

—Mark 9:23

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Victorious.