At the end of the day I truly want to change the world. As time goes on I often wonder and realize that I probably won’t do that on the grand scale that I wish I could. I mean it could happen. I believe it can but at the end of the day I look at the random things that get to have a platform and have grand scale impact and wonder if I’ll ever get that platform. And so what if I don’t? What happens then? Does that mean that I feel my life was wasted? That I did not accomplish all that I wanted to? No not really. Because what I am discovering is that it’s all about me being faithful to finish in the things that come my way. That in the end those little things that I get the privilege of dreaming, doing, discovering will add up to a life spent and given away to bring honor to the Father. I dont’ want to hear the words well done you good and faithful servant. I want to hear the words… you finished! you finished faithfully.
You see I have big dreams. Some that have been birthed continue to stir in my heart. Others come and go and some fade away but regardless they are big dreams. And often I look at how unatainable they probably really are. For instance I want to have maximum impact in the world of adoption and in the lives of children who need someone to come into their life and love them and to give them hope. I look at other organizations out there and know that I could never have maximum impact like Shohanna’s Hope or Compassion do. I mean sure that could happen but really… Dave and I … what can we actually do? I dream of funding adoptions for people who can’t afford it. Would love to pull out a checkbook and say, it’s paid for.. time and time again to families, but again, the reality comes and really puts those dreams into perspective. But what I do know is this. I know this truth. That it’s being faithful to finish in the little things that come my way. So as God prompts my heart as to what I can do to help families and children… I’ll take those things on and I WILL BE FAITHFUL TO FINISH.
Wayfarer – I long and dream and desire for Wayfarer to have maximum impact in this world and generation. Time and time again, it seems we climb an uphill battle. All along watching other people get chances at platforms to have a global voice. At times the dream for me gets so discouraging.. wondering if what we do or give our lives to matters? At the end of the day I know it does but I’m personally not satisfied. But Again I am learning that I want our family to be Faithful in the little things that we are investing our whole lives in and know that it’s worth it.
I’ve attended our church now going on 9 years and I continue to believe the lie that I Kim Rhodes a part from Dave Rhodes can not have impact there. What can I seriously offer to people? It’s as if I know I can’t live up to the grand picture so I waste years dormant in insecurity. I truly long to have maximum impact not only in my personal dreams or at Wayfarer but also in my church. I don’t know what that means but I am understanding more and more that it’s got to start by being Faithful in the little things.
So as you can see my heart is heavy tonight. I was just telling my friend this past Sunday… “Is this it? Seriously.. because if it is, then I’m not satisfied.” And a few days later in a room full of people tonight at Engage I hear the simple truth that my heart has been prepared to hear. That no this is not it. I have no clue what my life will hold tomorrow. But I will go to the grave giving it my all. Me, I’m finishing strong and if that means that my life ends up being a bunch of little things that I can do for the sake of the Kingdom then you can count on this… that I’m going to be Faithful to those things. I’m going to passionately give them my all and will finish strong with what has been given me.
Rhodes To Anywhere 
i.am.so.serious.
this is some of the same stuff God is speaking to me. I loved reading this. I even sat and talked with Ernest about it and how God is so good, vibrant, and everything life.
Hey Kim,
I’ve been on the same journey (welcome to the beginning of mid-life I guess). Over the last few years I’ve been struggling to understand my role in the Kingdom. . . What’s the best thing to do/pursue? What should I do when I’m unhappy with my job and it’s not getting any better any time soon? Can I be most effective on staff at a church or as a lay minister? Should I work for a non-profit or should I start a for-profit that funds non-profits?
For me, the breakthrough came when I understood the need to be content with where God had me, and to trust Him to answer the cry of my heart, to show me what he wanted my role to look like. Amy and I dove in head first at church ministering as we could, reaching out to care for the people God brought to our lives. Through that experience I was invited and went to Egypt. Then this year I was asked to establish a partnership with a new mission partner in Zambia. Part of that assignment was to explore potential economic opportunities in Zambia as well as to teach seminars on leadership and entrepreneurship. Talk about stretching. . . as a result of pursuing what God was asking me to do. . . since August of this year, we’ve established an annual teacher’s conference with teachers from the US training teachers in Kabwe Zambia, started an exchange program between our church and our partner in Kabwe, and started developing a water treatment program so that their missionaries are trained to treat water wherever they go. Beyond our church partnership, I’m putting together a company called The Almus Project – Almus is a Latin word that means: kind, generous, nourishing – to address the issues of malnutrition, lack of low cost sustainable shelter, and human trafficking. Our core goals are to combine for profit commercial enterprise to support important work in these areas that by themselves don’t represent sufficient market opportunity to be self-sustaining. We are working on commercial peanut butter production in Zambia to support Ready to Use Theraputic Food production. We’re also working on commercial imports and distribution (potentially manufacturing) of foam-core modular construction materials and systems ($2,500 simple houses that last 35-40 years) to support the manufacture and sale of refugee housing ($250 hexayurts that last for 10-20 years). Our latest project involves US-based roasting, packaging and distributing coffee that has been planted to replace opium poppy in the Golden Triangle region of Northern Thailand, to support the rescue and retraining of underage girls (chilren 10, 11, 12 years old) from this region that have been sold by their families to work as “waitresses” but tragically end up as sex workers in Bangkok and other major Thai cities.
We’re in the incubation stages of development and are establishing partnerships with Bright Hope International which owns a local farm in Zambia to produce the peanut butter and RUTF, Dr. Mark Manary and Project Peanut Butter that invented RUTF and currently manufactures it in Malawi, The Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy at Palm Beach Atlantic University to develop new formulas of RUTF to meet the nutritional needs of malnourished adults living with HIV/AIDS and possibly incorporating ARV drugs as well, the Hexayurt project who has developed and extensively prototyped the hexayurt refugee shelter, Essential Structures which currently manufactures the foam-core simple housing systems in Kenya, Christian Mission Fellowship in Tanzania (a network of 200 churches in Tanzania) to import/manufacture foam-core there, and Bright Hope International to import the Thai coffee to the US where we will roast, package, and distribute the coffee commercially.
I’ve written all of this to say that you’re absolutely right. Every big thing is really made up of a million little things. It’s being faithful in the little things that makes big things possible. After all the really big thing. . . the only thing. . . is the Kingdom. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking that my church is the big thing, or that a ministry is the big thing. In the last 2 years I’ve gotten a glimpse of how big the Kingdom is and how without all of the little things it’s glory is diminished. We serve the same King and all Kingdom work is important work. Be encouraged, it’s a great journey and he’ll show your next assignment.
Thanks for making a difference.
All the best,
Andy