Loving Well Has Nothing to Do with Numbers

There is an inspiring line frequently attributed to Dwight L. Moody. Perhaps you’ve heard it? “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him.” What you may not know is that those words were actually spoken to Dwight by his friend, Henry Varley. More than a year later, when Dwight Moody brought the statement back up with his friend, Henry confessed to remembering their earlier conversation, but not his actual words. Dwight, however, did remember them with great precision, and he always would. By Dwight’s own testimony, God had engraved those words on his heart, and they would urge him on in the pursuit of God for the rest of his days.

I bring you that story because it brims with the inherent potential and value of one human soul, and I think those are always good reminders for us. Otherwise, we can slip into the culture’s mindset that says more is always merriest and bigger is always better. It’s simply not true, and it can be disheartening for those who aren’t surrounded by large families at any time of the year, but maybe even more so at the holidays. That thought makes me sad. Maybe you’ve never felt like your smaller gatherings are less than after scrolling social media. I sincerely hope not, but on the chance that someone is reading these words who has struggled with such feelings, allow me to speak directly to you.

Your family unit is precious, regardless of how many feet slide under your table! One relationship between a mom and her child, or a grandmother and her grand, can be as precious as the bonds enjoyed by women who look more like The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe! You can love that one soul so well and speak into his or her life with such wisdom, that you both prepare them for their own futures and impact the lives of countless others in the days to come.

We each have the potential to be used of God for His purposes in ways none of us could dream or foresee. You may be raising a child who will become a quiet hero. You may be mothering or grand mothering a mountain mover! Whatever your family circle looks like, in every way, I say, kudos to you, Rockstars! Let’s use the words that moved the famous evangelist all those years ago to touch our hearts with the same promise today. For surely, “The world has yet to see…”