Chapter 3
In which Amanda discovers a journal entry
It was Sunday morning. The Crandalls had just finished the time of worship at church and were now sitting and listening to the preacher. As the first slide appeared on the screen, Amanda reached into her bag to pull out her pen and notebook. She flipped through the journal, looking for a space to write, when she glanced at an entry from over a year ago.
It was just what she needed in that moment, a reminder that what their family was doing right now had been a part of God’s work in their lives for a long time.
Here is what she read:
- Library: two things I was considering yesterday -
“Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where moth + rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but build up treasures in Heaven that will never be destroyed.”
He also is faithful with a little…
Throughout the day I thought this meant that I was not to build a library that can easily be destroyed, and I was ashamed that maybe we are not given a lot of money to do things because we’re not very faithful with the little we have — the little money, little house, little collection. So basically I’m not fit for running a library or a bigger space.
But in praying with Josiah last night, it dawned on me that there’s another option — perhaps as we handle physical objects, we need to keep focused on what they are used for. They are not our treasure. What they point to is the treasure, and we are just a guidepost for people to experience Renewal in Christ, the true treasure.
I need to keep my eyes on our true goal: not owning a library, but helping people see Christ.
And for being faithful, we do have a lot, and it keeps growing. Our expertise is growing, our dream + passion is growing, our vision is clarifying. Our connections are growing, and our library is growing too.
Laura Wifler said in an email, the best advice she’s gotten is “you focus on depth, let God determine the breadth.”
There are lots of ways to force things to get big, but that’s God’s job to control the results.
“Put your heads down and do excellent work. Trust God to take care of the rest.”
This helped me realize that I don’t need to worry about making the library happen, or be discouraged if I think maybe it won’t happen. That’s not up to me.
What I have before me now is a love for living books, a perspective that ideas can help us grow, a passion for following Jesus and helping others do the same, a little money to buy books, and all the things listed above, and 3 wonderful children to teach in a living way.
What could be better??
God, I trust you have a wonderful plan, and I’ll let You accomplish that without worrying about it. :)