She writes in a way that makes me want to be a writer. She loves her daughters in a way that makes me wanna be a mom. She confesses her weaknesses in a way that inspires me to be more vulnerable around here. I asked Sarah Markley to write because I knew that she would have something valuable to say:
I have a tiny corner. A little stewardship.
It isn’t vast or expansive in reach, but it’s close and intimate, and it is what God has given me.
I serve a small church and within it an even smaller group of women. No more than ten ladies come to my little Bible Study. We meet in the mornings on a weekday and at first the goal was just simply to gather together and see what would happen.
I had no real expectations. In fact, I had voiced to our Women’s Director that we needed a Study during the week for moms like me.
She asked me to lead it.
This year we are trying to learn how to live every moment in Jesus’ name, and then understand the place his luxurious grace has in our lives.
There is nothing extravagant about the little classroom that we meet in on Thursday mornings. In fact, we are lucky if our babysitters show up. One week last spring (as excitement waned) it was just me and one other girl. And we still went through the lesson.
But we know each other. And we share. We know whose kids have special needs and whose marriages are shaky. We know which women have husbands who don’t believe and which one can’t have any more babies. We try to understand each other better each time we meet. And there is no judgment.
We have ladies who work and ladies who don’t. We have a girl whose only day off is the day we meet, and she comes still.
My corner of influence might look tiny. This stewardship seems so small in comparison to hurricane relief or caring for orphans in Africa. But it isn’t. I am part of His Body. The precious jewels that are these women are part of His Body. They are His baby daughters that have been entrusted to me for one hour on a Thursday morning. There was a need and God filled it with me. And I am honored.
How do I want to change the big, wide world? I’m not sure yet. But I think I’ll start here.
We’re reaching the end of our month of DOing, and I want us to seriously take a look at our corners of the world… Ask yourself: what do you have to offer? what’s something YOU can do in your corner?
what an awesome inspiration–we all have our little corners. Thanks for sharing this Sarah!!! and Mandy–thanks for pulling together all the “do’ers”–it’s been great!
Sarah… You are impacting in a BIG way… those women will never forget this year. neither will you
I belong to a “little” womens group. I get so refreshed from it. These women are a blessing to me. I know that they love me. Thanks so much for showing me that I am not the only one to find comfort in the Small Corner instead of the big auditorium.
Good stuff.
Oh, I love that Sarah Markley so dog gone much.
Wow. I love her.
Great stuff.
Changing lives, one at a time.
Sarah: Thank you! I hope you are encouraged to keep on keepin’ on.
If you think about Jesus really invested most of his time into 12 people and look how the world has changed!
If it wasn’t for the woman who invested in me.. where would I be?
awwww, thanks everyone. =)
you encourage me…and today happens to be our Bible study morning, too. good things happen from little groups (like danielle said!)
i’ve also had women who invested in me even when I was un-investable.
“…the place his luxurious grace has in our lives.”
Excellet word choice. Nice to finally see an appropriate, and accurate, use of the word “luxurious.” Very well written.
So Mandy says we’re nearing the end of this series, eh?
Hmmm. Well, I’d hate to be the one to go last. How in the world can anyone top all of the great Essays we’ve read so far…?
I read recently about Niagara Falls in a book called Show and then Tell. It talked about how Niagara Falls starts. It starts from mere trickles of snowmelt that combine to form rivulets of water, that turn into tiny streams merging into larger streams to form rivers. These rivers flow for hundreds of miles before finally merging into the quickening Niagara River, which soon speeds to an unstoppable cliff where it drops hundreds of feet known as Niagara Falls.
Our walk is a lot like this…that small corner if you will. Some of us are the trickles of snowmelt, others are the rivulets of water, and others are rivers. All are needed in order to end with a majestic water fall.
Very precious. Very true.
Michael: I’ve heard that as well! Isn’t is an amazing illustration!?
awesome! It’s the little things we do to make a difference that begin to change our world.
Just getting over from Mandy’s blog …
AWESOME. My church has a group called “Homemakers” that was started many years ago, with this exact same vision. I’m attending it right now, and it is SUCH a blessing. It has grown to well over 120 ladies … so whether that encourages you or scares you … do not despise the place of small beginnings! Women need this ministry. Bless you!
sarah, i love the way you write. i love your heart. i love your perspective. thank you for sharing…