The Few…

I often want to be like everyone else. Of course I do. I want to do what everyone else does and run with the crowd. I want to listen to the crowd, and do what they tell me to do, and not have to think and discern for myself. How easy would that be? To never take risks, or put myself out? To be part of the many?

But the many is not where we have been called.

There is a smaller, lesser known group: the few. I know where I am supposed to be, and I know who I am supposed to be listening to. God has given me the few (who have turned out to be not so few) , and without those few, I shudder to think where I might be.
Probably listening to the many. Listening to the many would have probably brought us some of this,
and also some of this.
The many loves nice things, and so do I.
But we were called to something else. And the few were there. To pray, to encourage, to cry and to rejoice. We were called to follow and obey, and I’m not going to lie…sometimes following and obeying is hard. We will be always different, we will never be what the many deem “normal.” Not being normal is tough, and honestly, sometimes I miss it.
When the many said “that’s a lot of money,” or “that’s crazy,” and “are you sure this is what you want?”
The few said, “this is what God has for you,” “maybe it is crazy, but God will never leave of forsake you,” and “we will pray.”
The few praying, and encouraging, is what got us through many hard times, and helped us to see the joy on the other side of those hard times.
Who am I listening to? The few? The faithful who know God intimately, and know his plan is perfect and will never fail?
Or am I listening to the many? The many who would encourage us to spend money elsewhere, and don’t mind telling us how crazy we are.
Well, I am glad we are crazy. I am glad we chose to walk a different path. A path that led us to be a family to the orphan, because I know a God who is so real, and He is so good, and His heart? Is for the orphan.
I am glad we didn’t listen to the many.
Because this? Is the face of an orphan:
That picture? Is the face of my daughter.
What joy might we have missed?
Thank you so much, dear friends, for being our few!
We appreciate you all more than words can say!

1 Comment

  1. michelle on January 4, 2011 at 12:31 am

    Joanna-So beautiul, so true.Our journey to raise a child cost money, time, energy, effort organization, sleepless nights, many moments almosting dancing (leap for leap) in Faith. But, the gifts we are given along the way give us a smile, a tender little hug or tug, a thank-you, butterfly kisses, and eyes which say more than a book could read. The car, the boat, the house as you have written will never have the value of your little Miss M or your some years away, grown-up Miss M. Happy 2011, blessings-mlynne

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