Sheldon the Shorty


Ever heard of Sheldon Jackson? I just finished reading a book on him. Do you know who he is? He was a missionary to Alaska. He set up a bunch of schools and missions. He became world famous. But he didn't start with everyone's full support. No sir! You see, his church's foreign mission board first turned him down. They didn't think that he should go to Alaska. Do you want to know why? It wasn't because he wasn't qualified. It wasn't because they didn't think that he would get enough money. It was because he was too short. Hey, I'm not making this up! They said his was "lacking in physique." Okaaay. But that reminds me of a verse.

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12

I bet you're wondering how this ties into Sheldon Jackson not being allowed to go to Alaska because he was short, right? Okay. People underestimate kids because they're short. They think because they're "just kids" they can't do anything. To that I chuckle and say, "Hey that's a good one." That is ridiculous! I could give you countless stories of kids that did amazing things for God. Just look at the Rebelution. It's a movement from teens telling other teens to get up and do hard things for God. And teens are listening. They are getting up and doing hard things for God. God is using them for His glory. He wants to use us for His glory, too. Whether you're a kid, a teen, an adult, or a senior, He wants us to say, "I'm Yours, Lord. Do with me what You will." That doesn't sound too hard, right? Just a simple prayer. Except the scary part is that God will listen. He will use us. He will get us to move out of our comfort zones. He will get us to do hard things for Him.

I forgot to tell you the end of Sheldon the Shorty's story. After the foreign mission board denied him, Sheldon didn't say, "Sorry, Lord. I tried. I guess I'll go home now." Not a chance. He decided that he would show the board. Lacking physical physique, my foot! He put everything he had into doing this hard thing, with the future goal: going to Alaska. In 1858 he graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary. He worked as a teacher in Oklahoma for ten years, teaching Indians. Then, he went into full time ministry in the church. In 1877, he finally visited Alaska and saw the need for churches and schools. So, he began to raise money. Churches and people thought his cause worthy, donated money, and the rest, as they say, is history.

If Sheldon the Shorty can do hard things, so can we.