A drop in the bucket.

Sometimes I look at this crazy world that we live in and just feel overwhelmed. I feel like a drop in the bucket, and I wonder if anything I'm doing is really making a difference. Or if what I'm doing is making a big enough difference to even matter.

It's interesting though, because living in Rajpur India for 6 months, I've been exposed to a lot more poor, hurting, lost people then ever before, and I've experienced lots of new parts of the world over these last two months, but the thing that my Jesus keeps teaching me, and reminding me about, over and over again, is hope. His hope for His people. For this fallen world.

I see the devastation. I see the poverty. I see the need. I live among some of the poorest of the poor. I know it's world wide. I know the problem is not small.

But my Jesus just keeps reminding me of how big He is. And how great and hopeful His perfect plan for His world is.

It's easy to look around you and feel completely and utterly overwhelmed and helpless. Like nothing you could ever do will make a big enough difference. But what I've experienced over the last 8 months, is that if you choose to live with open eyes you will see it all…all of it. But you will also see God at work. He's all over the place. You just have to learn to recognize where He's working.

While I was gone these past two months, my Jesus spoke to my heart about a lot of things, but one thing that He reminded me of over and over again was that I'm not alone in this. We're not alone in this. He has His perfect plan and He willingly encourages each member of the body of Christ to be an intricate piece to His puzzle. He gives us the opportunity to be part of His plan. And there are people all over the world that have said yes to their savior and His plan.

While I was in Thailand I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with Stanley and Linda Cheng. They are missionaries from Singapore who followed Jesus to Bangkok, Thailand. They live on the AIT campus and do ministry with graduate students. It was a huge encouragement to spend the afternoon with them, getting to know them, learning about their work and ministry, and hearing amazing stories about what Jesus is doing. It really, really encouraged my heart, to see first hand some of what Jesus is doing through this amazing couple.

That night when I got back to my hotel I stood out on the back balcony listening to my ipod. My room was on the 14th floor, and I had an amazing view of the city of Bangkok. Lights as far as you could see…just city everywhere. My ipod shuffled to the song Invasion/Hero, and I actually listened to the lyrics closely for the 1st time.
The 3rd verse goes like this-

Yeah. God is not pleased, man it's clear that His standards missed, Cause the world is rampant with sin, it's an abandonment. Man is feeling stranded, feeling hopeless since his banishment. God is angry at the distortion and the mismanagement. Evil is at work, but don't be thinking He can't handle it, He promised He would do away with all of it, dismantle it. He's put up with this damage in His world, but He's promised us That He'll destroy all His enemies and then He'll walk with us. New Heaven, new Earth, that's where all His sheep dwell, Jesus succeeded in every part of life that we failed. Died the death we couldn't die, paid our price with 3 nails. Began the work He promised, in the end we all will be well. Already beat his enemies and when His Kingdom's realized, all those who oppose Him will see Jesus with through some real eyes. Deliverance is offered us, the hero He is urging us, salvation is exclusive to His people who have turned to trust.

This world is a mess. But God's got this. And somehow, we all get the amazing opportunity to play a small part in it all.



Bangkok felt huge that night. That's all I could see all around me. And Bangkok is just one city among the hundreds in Thailand, and Thailand is just one country among the hundreds in the world. But I was reminded that even when we feel so small, and we know we are just one Katie Sue Linn, in one small part of the world, who can only make such a small difference, there are so many, many, one Stanly and Linda Cheng's out there doing the same thing. All over the world. Jesus was whispering hope to my heart that night.

One drop in the bucket feels so small and insignificant, but when one drop joins with many, it eventually fills the bucket up. As believers, we are all called to different things, but those different things all fit together in the master plan that our creator is weaving together. And we all have one thing in common. Following Jesus with everything we have, and sharing His love with everyone we meet. It's pretty amazing and humbling to think that He allows us to be a part of things. He allows us to join Him where He’s working. And when everyone works together to play their specific role, eventually we get the job done.