The past year I’ve been working on my book, Who Do You Say I am?, that is to be published in 2020. I’ve written it in English. People kept asking me, “why not in Dutch?”
My answer would be the same, “Because, English is the language of my heart.”
Still, during my writing process several people asked me, “Will you translate it into Dutch?”
A few weeks ago I was visiting friends. My friend asked me about my book. Somehow we ended up discussing why I did not plan to write or translate this book into Dutch, unless, God made it very clear He wanted me to.
My friend asked me: “So, why don’t you want to translate your book into Dutch? Don’t you think the Dutch need to hear your message too?”
I admitted “I fear the Dutch response. I’m not so sure how they would receive my book.”
In the heat of the discussion, my friend’s twelve years old son started reciting: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
I was stunned, and I had goose bumps. This kid was fully engaged in his video game, so he wasn’t paying any attention to our conversation. Yet God used him to speak right into my refusal to publish in Dutch because of fear.
I told my friend’s son” “You know ,God used you to speak into my life today.”
He said to me: “I wasn’t paying any attention, but suddenly something came over me, and I felt I needed to recite that verse, so I did.”
If we all would respond as spontaneously as children do, even in the middle of what we’re doing, we would impact other people’s lives tremendously.
I thought it very humbling and encouraging to experience how God uses children to speak truth in our lives.
