A Pencil in the Hand of God

This morning I was blessed to speak at the annual retreat of a women's group from a lovely church in Daytona Beach, Florida. As I left my house to go meet them, my nine year-old son offered an unexpected benediction. He kissed me goodbye and said, "Mami, go be a pencil in the Hand of God." He was quoting Mother Teresa, who spent her life letting God write a love letter to the world through her and urged us to let Him do the same with us. What a wonderful way to live!

Mr Teresa: A pencil in the Hand of God.

My son blessed me immensely as I prepared to bless others by sharing my love of God and His Word. As I drove to the cathedral where I spoke, I remembered another quote by Mother Teresa, "Love until it hurts... What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful."

These words of Mother Teresa brought a paradigm shift to my life five years ago. When I began to pursue doing only "small things with great love," my focus shifted from me to the One who enables me to do anything good or worthwhile that I do. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." I finally understood that God gets all the credit for anything good that we do - always. I found freedom in that passage, for it leaves no room for pride or self-centered boasting. It only leaves room for thanking God!

When love is our beginning and our end, what's in the middle is not only life-giving, but joyous! I am thankful for a small opportunity to share God's love with those around me, and grateful to experience His love more fully as I share what He has given me. I cannot do what others can do, but I can use the gifts God gave me to bless, to heal, to teach, to love.

This is life. Abundant life! We, too, can write a love letter to the world by using God's gifts to us for the benefit of others. Why not start now?

Be blessed!
Dr Mari