Recently I spoke at a women’s conference called Women After Gods Own Heart in Oklahoma City. There was plenty of inspiration during the conference from the amazing singers and speakers.
However, none impacted me more than a little nine-year-old girl, Mariah.
She was dressed up for the occasion and stepped onto the platform just like any other professional speaker.
She was tiny in stature but her voice was like a grown woman who spoke with clarity and authority. She stood in a position of confidence, never once hesitating as she answered the questions asked during her live interview.
Mariah told her story about being born blind and the great difficulty she experienced as a result of it. I listened on the edge of my seat wanting to hear more. She talked about how her mother taught her to trust God. This became her reason to believe that one day she would be able to see.
She went on to tell us about the miracle of sight she experienced by way of eye surgery. She didn’t detail the blindness but rather focused on her mother and how God helped her through all of it.
In the end, this little girl left us with a stunning, powerful statement. She said, “Jesus gave me a reason to believe that I am more than I ever thought I could be!”
Out of the mouth of little ones comes some of the most profound wisdom!
I have lived nearly seven decades struggling at times and hoping I would one day be good enough to be used by God. I know now that I am more than I ever thought I could be but it took me a lifetime to get to that point.
How many times do we reject the truth of who we were created to be? How many times do we forget that we were created to be part of a greater purpose than simply existing for ourselves but rather to be agents of love, grace, and beauty for all we come in contact with?
We reject the truth because we’re all grown up now and life has hit us hard. We’ve allowed life’s experiences, which resulted in deep pain, to obscure the beauty of innocence and truth.
As kids, we were wide-eyed with wonder but as adults, we are fast asleep and nearly in a coma because we’ve lost our childlike wonder.
Being childlike is not childish.
Being childlike is truly living in the moment without worries about tomorrow or regretting the past.
How many times do we hear the line “Live in the moment?”
Or “Embrace the moment!”
Or “Enjoy the journey! We only have this moment!”
These are statements we make that are childlike but certainly not childish.
A simple belief that God is with us can be a part of our thoughts on a daily basis and give us reason to trust, in the words of Mariah, “Jesus helped me to believe that I am more than I ever thought I could be.”
How many of us want to be more than we ever thought we could be?
There’s adventure in that statement because we live with anticipation wondering what may be just around the bend or what experiences are ahead of me.
It’s the kind of life that never gets boring but rather puts a spring in our step and a song in our heart.
Mariah lived in the moment believing all the while “I am more!” She didn’t say, “One day I’ll be more.”
I keep hearing Mariah’s words in my heart as truth we can all embrace and believe.
You can be more than you ever dreamed!
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