I found this little gem in this morning's daily devotional. It fits right in with the various discussions here about the unimaginably beautiful ripple effects of even the tiniest flickers of light.


“The Liberian Boy's Choir is but one example that even our smallest sacrifices in obedience to God's call can change the course of our lives forever.

It was a hot day at the orphan village in Liberia. The soaring temperatures were inescapable, but at least outside there was a breeze. The boys playing soccer in the field didn't seem to mind the heat because the constant excitement of the game kept them plenty distracted. The 12 boys inside practicing their choir music found their eyes wandering often over to the soccer field, where the promise of fun and the cheers of their friends tugged at them. Was membership in the boys' choir worth sacrificing their free time playing soccer? In war-torn Liberia, every moment of fun was something to be treasured to each of these orphan boys.

Choir practice paid off down the road as the boy's choir was given the opportunity to tour the United States in an effort to raise money and support for their fellow orphans. Little did they know that their faithfulness to such a small commitment would result in a number of the boys being adopted into U.S. families and given homes. As they opened their mouths and sang from their hearts about the joy of the Lord, God opened the doors of families' hearts all over the southeast to experience it firsthand. Missing soccer to sing of God's love seemed like such a sacrifice to these impoverished boys at the time. But do you think they had any idea that this decision of obedience would one day lead to their biggest dreams coming true? Could they have possibly known that so many other children's futures would have been affected as well? Certainly not!

Like these young boys, so many times we are given the opportunity to do small things and make small sacrifices for results we cannot yet see. We may be asking why God would have us do such a minor task or give up what seems like such a miniscule detail of our day, when all along He sees the pearl inside of the seashell.”

excerpt taken from: "Faithful with a Little" (http://www.crosswalkmail.com/couilah_nrzonbzp.html)
by Lysa TerKeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries(Daily Devotional for Sep 23, 2005)