"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.' " Isaiah 6:8 (RSV)

My kindergarten son, who was eager for school to start, woke early last Tuesday morning. He dressed himself and came downstairs. I was surprised to see him up and dressed. I was in the kitchen preparing lunches for my husband and two boys.

"Good morning, honey!"

"Hi, Mom! Whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just making lunches. Do you want to help?"

"Yep, but I'll be right back. Wait a minute!" Mark ran out of the room.

That's curious. I thought; but I figured that, perhaps, my young son needed to use the toilet, judging from the speed with which he left the room. Moments later Mark reappeared in the kitchen, dressed in a white chef's smock and hat. The costume was a birthday gift from his Aunt Nancy, who knows how much Mark enjoys role-playing. I must admit, he looked adorable. My miniature chef's eyes danced from under the billowing white hat.

"Here are my worker hands," he exclaimed. "Chef Mark to the rescue!"

I grinned and handed him a butter knife. I assigned him the task of spreading the mayonnaise on the sandwich buns while I washed a some grapes. I watched as Mark dipped the knife into the jar and came up with a mountain of mayo which he politely plopped onto the first bun. With gusto, he applied equally generous portions to the other two sandwich buns and accidentally got some on his hands. He looked to see if I was watching so I pretended not to notice. Mark laid the knife on the kitchen counter. He examined his outstretched palm, which he held in front of his face. Then Mark stuck out his tongue and licked his hand from palm to fingertip to remove the excess mayonnaise! He shrugged his shoulders. Splat, he mashed his little hand (yes, the one he had just licked-clean) onto the sandwich bun; with a circular swipe, he spread the mayonnaise around on the bun.

"This one is for, Daddy!" he proudly exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll enjoy it, but let's wash your hands before you finish the other two."

He shook his head. "No, that's all right, Mom. I've got everything under control."

Then, to my surprise, Mark picked up two pieces of bread in each hand and clanged them together like cymbals. He marched around the kitchen island singing, "pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, bakers man, bake me a cake as fast as you can." Then he placed the sandwich buns, mayonnaise-side-down, onto the counter top. I laughed and cleaned up the mess with a paper towel. Then I finished stacking the sandwiches with lunch meat and placed them into plastic bags.

Mark brushed his hands back-and-forth. Then wiped them on his white smock. His face beamed with pride. "There, all done!" Won't Daddy be surprised?"

"Yes, he certainly will." I chuckled. "Thanks, Chef Mark! I can't remember ever having this much fun making lunches in all my days of motherhood!"

"No problem," he replied matter-of-factly. "Glad to help."

Even adult children of God don't always carry out His plans exactly the way He intends. Well-intentioned Christians often bungle earthly tasks. God must certainly be amused by our immature antics. God knows your imperfections. Trust God to use your enthusiasm to carry out His work. God empowers ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things in His name. Strive to make a positive impact in a negative world.

Samuel was awakened by the voice of God calling him into service. (Read 1 SAMUEL 3:1-10).

Are you listening? God is calling you. Will you give him your best worker hands?

Copyright © 2001 by Sharla Taylor