Quiet Power

God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them (Matthew 5:5, NLT).

A dear friend, Dee Jepsen, wife of former U.S. Senator Roger Jepsen, attended a luncheon in the Senate Caucus Room on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Congressmen, Cabinet members, top leaders in government, and many other respected guests were seated in the impressive room with its ornate pillars, high ceilings, and huge chandeliers. The room seemed to swell with influential people who had gathered to honor a humble servant of God.

Then Mother Teresa entered the room.

Mrs. Jepsen said, "She looked so tiny and out-of-place in her blue-and-white habit, old gray sweater, and sandals that had obviously carried her many miles. The room and prestigious guests seemed to dwarf her."

Immediately the top leaders of the most powerful country in the world, along with the other esteemed guests, rose to their feet and applauded. Many had tears in their eyes.

"I was struck with the contrast," Mrs. Jepsen said. "I thought, Lord, this frail woman has more power than I see in the Halls of Congress. She reflects Jesus everywhere she goes, and everyone is strangely moved."

Mother Teresa doesn't own anything; she has never asked for material possessions nor held up her fist to demand rights for herself. Yet she has been raised to a pinnacle of recognition for her work with the destitute and dying in Calcutta, India. She has reached down into the gutter and loved those whom the world has called unlovable. A shining example of selflessness, she proves the power of God's love to transform people and touch a starved world.

This is real power and, unlike that of the world, it confounds the wise and humbles the mighty. It is the power of God working through ordinary men and women for His glory.

Our Lord, God in the flesh, was an example of sheer, unlimited power, but controlled and restrained for His mission, and driven by love.

When we are filled with His Spirit, we have that same power inside of us. But He wants us to be vessels of His mission, to walk in His humility, and also to be driven by His love. Then people will not see us, but will see Him in us. Like Mother Teresa, we will display a power the world does not know. But His Spirit working in us will draw others to Himself.

(Crosswalk Insights from Bill Bright – August 19, 2008)