When an Ordinary Nobody is Somebody Helping Anybody

Cindie found a couple of well-used books in the stash of books mom left for us. One was THE DREAM GIVER by Bruce Wilkinson. Most of this book probably isn’t worthy of a lot of time, but I noticed that Wilkinson talks about Ordinary (a Nobody), Anybody and Somebody. I think he is trying to point out that you can be ordinary and really a nobody as far as the world is concerned and still be the somebody who is willing to help anybody. There is a sense in which this is exactly what Jesus did in selecting his disciples. He selected what could be easily classified as a bunch of ordinary nobodies.

This struck home with mom, because she recognized she was an ordinary nobody. But she also knew she could be an anybody who could help somebody when yielding herself as a vessel for God’s purposes and use. The second book was the companion to the first. On the cover it says, “Dream Planner.” The pages are mostly blank, with some scripture verses. More about what I found later in this post.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, reminds them that they aren’t special because of who they are but because of who God is. God is worthy of the glory. He wants all to see that he is the wise, powerful and most noble. Paul makes the point by saying you can compare God’s “foolishness” as far wiser than the greatest of man’s wisdom: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 (ESV)

Now let me share what we discovered in the second book. Mom had printed an email from one of the boy’s school in Belize where she had gone on a mission trip with others from her church in Waukesha. The email was a thankyou from Rose for a package and check mom had sent to the school to encourage the boys on Valentine’s Day. This was a reminder that Mom did not just care about someone when she was with them, but continued to care days and years later.

On the back of the email, dated 02/04/2006, was this note in my mom’s handwriting: “Belize, 8/20/04 Abraham 75 years old when departed Gen. 12:4 (8/13/04).” Mom was 75 years old when she departed to minister to the boys in Belize. She was an ordinary nobody who became somebody to help anybody. Two years later she was continuing to do what an ordinary nobody could do to help somebody far away. We can all learn several lessons from this.