…Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, this verse has become a very powerful driver in our house. First, for my daughter, and then for my husband. It’s been a pretty astonishing thing to sit in the wings and watch, too.

My daughter is six years old. She’s been given an unbelievable physical gift in the form of the ability to perform gymnastics. At less than three years old, her aunt, a former gymnast herself and now a coach, told us that Abby had something special. So, as soon as she could, she was at the gym. In the past year, she has tested up and is now part of the first level of competitive gymnastics. She’s a full year younger than her peers, but stands shoulder-to-shoulder with most of them in ability. Last weekend, she competed in her first-ever meet. To say that she is driven is almost an understatement. She’s focused, competitive and realizes that she has a natural gift that is from God above.

I think the part that amazes me the most is that at such a young age, she recognized the gift that God gave her and is using that gift to the best of her ability. She talks and sings about Jesus constantly, asks for “Jesus songs” in the car and loves to lead our family in dinner prayers. God has a keeper with this one! I think if there is a verse that aptly describes Abby, it’s this one!

The second instance was with my husband. As we’re living out turning his gift and passion for baseball into a livelihood that is intended to honor God first, and provide for our family second, this verse has come into special prominence for Steve.

One of the high school kids who come to Steve for instruction proudly showed off a tattoo of this verse. It got him thinking. It got us talking. We looked it up in my Bible and talked about how appropriate those words were for his life. I think this one’s going to stick.

It wasn’t until pretty recently that I started hearing people tell about “their verse” or “their favorite Scripture.” We met some folks in Christian radio and in the course of getting their autographs for Abby, each signed their name and their Scripture. We went home and looked each up and talked about the relevance to each of those people’s lives.

Now that each one of us has discovered the verse that is perfectly suited to us, I think it’s time to memorialize it so we are each reminded of God’s power in our lives every day.

I’m so grateful that God has given me children who have, at a pretty young age, realized what they are passionate about and know that it is God who graced them with those talents. As a parent, there isn’t a better realization. He has entrusted Steve and I with their care and instruction so that they can become the people our Heavenly Father intends for them to be.

I’m also very grateful that He has used those around us to demonstrate so clearly to Steve and me how much He loves us and how well-equipped we are for the life he has laid out so that we may honor Him.