“You’re a little mover and a shaker. You’re going to change the world.”

Ok, I am not sure why I am tearing up as I write that sentence, but I am. It’s just me, I’m emotional.

I heard that phrase from my mom for over 23 years. I heard it on my first day of school, my first presentation, my first test, mission trip, job, my first “what am I doing with my life” crisis . . . anytime anything robbed my hope and joy my parents were there with that phrase.

So now I am a bit older (but just a bit) and I have these little phrases I repeat over and over in my head. They help me through my job, they remind me of my worth, they remind me of His love.

Words can transcend time and history. They can resound within our heart for years. That’s what words do: they impact a person . . . a child.

So in celebration of words, and the message given to us in the Word, below are two famous quotes.

I want to know what resonates with you. Which one inspires you most and why?

Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

Princess Diana, Princess of Wales
“You can’t comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.”

Which one makes you want to become a mover and a shaker?

There are a lot of things I love about working for Compassion. In fact, I’m going on eight years here, which is practically unheard of for my generation. (I’m a twenty-something.) But I’ve not stuck around this long by accident. 

I was reminded this morning of one of the reasons I love this ministry. Every Wednesday morning we meet together for chapel. It’s not something that’s required, but every week, it seems, the auditorium is packed out. It’s a great break from our desks, and more importantly, a chance to feel like a family – like the Church body. We sing together. We pray for our sponsors together. And we hear about how what we are doing as “work” every day is changing lives all around the world. It’s very motivating!

This week the room was especially full. Wess, our president, spoke. Anyone that’s been working here for any amount of time learns that when Wess speaks, it will be moving. He has a lifetime of stories. If you’ve read his book, you know that God allowed some pretty extraordinary circumstances in his life to bring him to where he is now. I love to hear Wess speak because every time he does, he shares straight from his heart. And once you hear him speak, you want to hear him again. Apparently employees here have figured this out because there wasn’t an empty seat in the room. 

The talk, of course, was great. But something that he said this morning really resonated with me. He said that what we as employees are doing here is exactly the same as what Jesus’ mission statement was while he was here: 

Wow. A job description literally right out of the Word of God! It doesn’t get much more motivating than that, huh?