Never Too Early

 "Don't ask God for a task that fits your ability, but believe that God will give you the ability for the task," the evangelist said.

He recalled a time when he was a youth pastor when as a project for the youth group, he assigned them the task of hand-copying the Bible! Surprisingly, they rose to the challenge and worked long and hard for 18 months, the Bible being divided into sections for different groups.

"It was amazing, the former youth pastor said, holding up a newspaper clipping with the headline,"YOUTH COPIES THE BIBLE BY HAND".

"In stormy weather when the power went out due to snow and blizzards, they worked by candlelight, writing on old parchment paper, just like the scribes of old." 

He described one girl who was particularly dedicated to the project. "She was short and thin, with long, stringy hair and came to church even if she had to walk. She had the sweetest personality ever, but with her freckles and uneven teeth, she couldn't be called pretty. In fact, she was more than plain, she was ugly!"

"She was devoted to the task, though," he went on. Then the evangelist's voice broke. "And do you know where she is now, some 35 years later?" he asked. "She's in the jungles of Peru, working with Wycliff Bible Translators to translate the Bible into their language!" 

Tears came to my eyes at the realization of this marvelous outcome for the young girl, who seemed to have little to offer in the eyes of the world. The evangelist said he was firmly convinced that God had given her the ability for such a task when she was faithful to the lesser task way back then. Amen!