"What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because the rest of them think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person but didn’t know any of the language? A passion to make a difference. " - Goodreads
Throughout the month of April, our ministry's book club embarked on the reading of the incredible autobiography all about the life and work of Katie Davis, a young woman sent to Uganda by God, to fill the bellies, minds, and souls of the most needy, with the love and care of Jesus Christ.If you have not read Katie's story, I urge you to please find a copy of this book right away and do so! I love Katie and her story and her FOURTEEN adopted children. They made me laugh, and very often made me cry. The broke my heart and showed me exactly how Jesus wants us all to live. They are an incredible family brought together, not by blood, but by the love we so often find in the pages of the New Testament. I could not recommend this book more, and have learned so much from it that I hope I can share just a bit with you.
Adoption is at the Heart of God's Kingdom
We probably know this to an extent. After all, God adopts us all in as we accept our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This book, however really drives the idea home and I LOVE it! Katie ends up adopting fourteen girls, ages one to fifteen before she is twenty-one years old all because she was moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. She loves them and cares for them without reservation (even if the neighbor's daughter makes fun of the girls for having a "white mommy" and eating fish. This really touched deep into my spirit. As I have spoken about previously on the blog, I have a heart for adoption and I am driven toward adopting in my own life. This book shows us that if just 8 percent of Christians were willing to take on one more precious child, there would be no more needing adoption. Adoption is at the heart of God's Kingdom.
God's Calling Might Not Be What Other's Think It Should Be
When Katie decided to forgo a college education to bring love, aid, and safety to the people of Uganda, her friends and family were dismayed by the prospect of her her leaving opportunity behind. Still, Katie understood that in follow God's Will for our lives might mean abandoning the will of others. This doesn't mean that God's Will is wrong. As the bible says, we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24) and Katie teaches us that this might mean that God's calling might not be what other's think it should be. Choose God.
Being in God's Will Does Not Always Mean We Will Be Free of Pain
Throughout the book, Katie is constantly seeking God's Will and acting precisely as He has asked her to act... but she has a lot of heartache in the midst of His will. Katie has tough days; days so tough in fact, that she struggles to get out of bed. She is surrounded by death, famine, disease. It hurts a lot and particularly there are times when Katie is faced with troubles she cannot justify or reckon with. We should expect this from our lives too. God doesn't guarantee that life will be easy once we are in His Will. In fact, it will probably be harder. There is still a fallen world around us and lessons God is trying to teach. To grow, we need to feel. So just because we are in God's Will, doesn't mean we will always be free of pain.
God Doesn't Call Us to Fix ALL the World's Problems Ourselves
This is a struggle Katie and I both share. When seeing so much that needs to be done to fix the world, it can feel overwhelming when we try to do it all. Sometimes even impossible. But, God doesn't call us to fix everything. God has around 2.3 billion Christians on this earth right now that He can use to do His Will. He is only asking each of us to play a small role in doing so. If we stick to His guidance in our lives, we don't have to worry if we are doing enough. That's God's job. Our job is to remain faithful in what we can do and are called to do.
There are so many more wonderful lessons to learn in this book by Katie Davis Majors and I hope you take the time, if you have not already, to read her incredible story. This month of May, our book club is turning it's attention to For One More Day by Mitch Albom as we seek to find God's hand in even fictional stories. I hope you join us.
