A Pen In My Pocket Helped Save A Life
Before we left the house, I felt like I needed to bring a pen. I didn’t know why.
Before we left the house, I felt like I needed to bring a pen.
I didn’t know why.
At the time.
I just knew I needed to bring it.
Usually, I don’t bring a pen to a concert. Who does that? Really? My family and I were almost on our way out the door to see Hillsong UNITED in Tampa, Florida. Little did I know that this trip would actually result in hearing God’s voice more clearly than I have in quite some time. That’s the honest truth.
Have you ever gone through a dry season where the Lord’s voice seems silent or distant? I have been in that very season. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. At the time of this story, I believe I was coming out of such a season into a new season of refreshing, but I think that’s only because I said “yes” to what He asked me to do. If you haven’t heard God’s voice for a long time, think back to the last thing He asked you to do.
Did you do it?
If not, maybe He’s waiting for you to do what He’s already asked you to do.
I forgot my pen was in my pocket as we approached security. We passed through without any hiccups (it’s a metal pen). Not long after the concert started, Hillsong began to talk about Compassion International. I’ve been to other concerts and events where they share Compassion’s mission, but I never really gave it much thought beyond how sad it was to see kids anywhere struggling. I knew I needed to pray, and it broke my heart, but I never took the step to fully invest in sponsoring a child. I never sacrificed much of anything to do it.
But at this Hillsong United concert, the Holy Spirit took hold of my heart. Something in me shifted, and I knew I needed to do something.
Volunteers began walking down the aisles, but I didn’t immediately raise my hand indicating I wanted one of the packets for a child in need. Honestly, I wrestled with God about it. It wasn’t that I was against what God was saying to me. I wondered what others might think. I leaned over and whispered to my wife, sharing with her that I thought God was telling us to sponsor a child. She didn’t hesitate. She smiled and flagged down one of the workers. And I got a packet!
This is when God did something that boosted my faith.
Have you ever had a moment where God did something so out of the ordinary that your faith was strengthened immediately? This was that moment for me.
I opened the Compassion International packet and realized I needed something to write with to complete the form.
But God had already been preparing me for THIS MOMENT with the pen I had in my pocket!
I knew I needed to bring a pen, but I didn’t understand why.
The pen that somehow didn’t get flagged at security.
This was the “God moment” for me!”
My wife and I sponsored a child in Tanzania who is the same age as our oldest son, Oliver. Sponsoring a child with Compassion International is amazing because it allows you to be Jesus's hands and feet to a child even if you can’t physically be present.
I felt the peace of God overwhelm me as I filled out the card. As I wrote, James 1:27 came to mind:
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
I might not have been able to physically go to Tanzania, but through my giving, I was able to visit my sponsored child and provide for his basic needs.
And according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver:
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
I wasn’t reluctant to help a child or under compulsion when I made the decision in my heart to give monthly to sponsor a child. Giving is an act of worship and by doing so this experience showed me it was a way to honor and glorify God. We worshiped God that night through praise, but we also worshipped that night through our giving to sponsor a child!
Do you feel God is speaking to you about sponsoring a child in need? The moment I said yes to sponsoring a child, God gave me such peace and fulfillment. That’s what happens when we obey. We honor God by obeying Him!
Have you already sponsored a child? What was your experience like?
We sponsor a child at a small school in La Bastion Popular in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Because my wife and I founded the school in 1998 and taught in it for a few years we got to know many children and families in the "invasion" where it was established. Now the girl we sponsor is the daughter of one of our original students. Knowing the family, and having the opportunity to visit the home a couple of years ago, made the benefit of child sponsorship real. What better way to give hope to a child, to a family and to a community? I highly recommend it.
Love this. The pen in the pocket was the tool God used that day, and still uses many times among our lives. Notes, prayer cards, journals, a little tool used to bring so much glory for God.