Guest Post - Words of Hope

Mini has been so busy this summer!  She is working a job, very involved in all her church activities and is preparing to start her senior year of high school but she still has time to churn out one amazing/moving article after another. We are incredibly blessed with this child.  In the latest issue there was this note from the editor,

 

"I would like to take a moment of your time to show a little of my appreciation for Hope Duke.  I have been so blessed by her writing talent and the content she chooses for each issue.  This young lady has a desire to teach and to be taught.  You can feel it in each of her articles and especially this one.  She will be a senior in High School this coming year and looks forward to attending college.  I would like to thank everyone for the compliments you continuously give about Hope's column.  Again, she is a very talented writer and has encouraged so many people young and old.  This young lady is definitely an important part of "The Good Stuff." - JM - Editor

Without further ado....here is her latest article.

Words of Hope

A few weeks ago, God decided to answer a constant prayer I have had on my heart for as long as I’ve been a Christian. While serving on a mission sight in Jackson, Mississippi, my creator revealed to me my calling in life. From my re-birth as a daughter of Christ to that very week, I had constantly been praying that God simply show me his will for my life. Where was I going to go to college? What profession would I have? Where would I go on mission trips, something very dear to my heart? How is the course of my life going to be significant to God’s over-all plan? All these questions have weighed on me and I’m relieved to finally be able to say I think I have it figured out.

My job on sight was to play with children ranging from ages 3 to 10 and to tell them bible stories without boring them to tears. I was disappointed when I arrived because I noticed that poverty was not a factor for these children and most of them attended church. Other people from my church were at sights located in the “ghetto”, where kids were elated to hear the good news of Christ for the very first time. My children, however, knew every answer to Cain and Able, Moses and the burning bush, when Jesus fed the 5,000, and Saul’s transformation to Paul, all at a young age. I immediately began to question why God even wanted us here. These kids already had Jesus, right? As the week went by, God began to answer my questions. From talking with the kids, I learned of divorce and heart break in their lives at a very young age. I noticed some kids’ shyness and lack of love they were receiving at home. I quickly realized that I wasn’t there to just tell people about Jesus, I was there to show these sweet children who Jesus really was.

You see, in that week, God showed me that I absolutely adore children and my aspirations of being a teacher should be carried out. But He also showed me that in order to be a follower of Jesus, my heart must break for others and I must be moved to be a real servant. He showed me that it doesn’t matter if I’m in Africa, Russia, Canada, or the US, need is present. Though people may disguise it, their hearts are aching for a love that they can’t yet comprehend. My calling in life is to serve others and, in essence, serve my savior.

After this experience God has given me, I can already see him exercising my servant heart. I see him telling me to do this or that, even small things, and I see in people’s faces how it lights up their day. This is the true living like Christ. People will never be open to receive love from our savior if they aren’t open to the love his children are providing. And if his children aren’t providing much love, others are at a loss. I challenge you to start asking God to guide you in servitude and to grow your heart to break for others. God bless.

John 13:12-15 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”