I was visiting a friend the other day and watched a house below her place.  A starling was carrying sticks of straw into the corner of the roof. It seemed a laborious task, just one straw at a time. But it would eventually build a nest there to lay its eggs in and hatch the next generation of starlings.

I thought of a book I read recently that told the story of a young girl who had always had the desire to go to India as a missionary. She was neither a nurse or a teacher, just an ordinary girl with a strong  sense of duty to her fellow man. She had no encouragement from her mother who was opposed to her going, and the older lady missionary she approached who was already working there didn’t exactly encourage her either.

But she continued with her ideas and set about preparing herself. She was always strongly attracted to the Indian people, and her feelings of compassion grew immensely when she got there. These people were so poor! Especially the Anglo-Indian people who didn’t seem to fit in anywhere properly. These were the people that the young missionary began working amongst.

From there, her work began and in time it became a large organization which today comprises medical clinics, soup kitchens feeding hundred of people each day, and an orphanage looking after unwanted children. Several churches have been formed and a group of responsible Indian men have become her main support. She has seen many children grow up, and become self sufficient adults with good jobs, all because she obeyed the call of God in her life. She could have thought the task was too great.

But the little we have, with God, is much in His hands. One step of obedience at a time was all it took. One stick at a time is all it takes to build a nest. Let’s make sure we never say “Never, not for me!” God can do wonders with an obedient person resting in His will.