I recently read an interesting story. It was a tale about the singular bravery of one lone man—how he helped to defeat an overwhelming enemy by simply doing his job. Whether it is historically true, I know not.
Here’s the story:
In 1942, in rural France, a shepherd named Étienne Moreau guarded more than his flock. To the German patrols, he was nothing but a weathered man in a wool coat, guiding sheep across the hills. His staff, his dog, and the rhythm of bells made him seem harmless, part of the landscape itself. But the open pastures were his battlefield.
Étienne knew every trail, every hidden ravine, and every stone hut scattered across the countryside. When fugitives from nearby trains escaped into the fields, it was Étienne who guided them through the hills. By day, he herded sheep in ordinary fashion. By night, he led frightened families under cover of darkness, his lantern dimmed, his sheepdog padding silently at his side.
To hide messages, he tied slips of paper to the collars of lambs, sending them into the care of other shepherds miles away. Food was smuggled in saddle bags, water gourds carried not just for him, but for those in hiding.
Once, a German patrol stopped him, demanding he explain why he wandered so far into the hills. Étienne shrugged, pointing to his flock, answering only: “The sheep go where the grass grows.” The soldiers laughed and moved on, never realizing he had just hidden two children in the tall grass behind him.
After the war, villagers said of him: “He carried no gun, yet he defended us with every step across those fields.” Through hills, sheep, and silence, Étienne turned the oldest of trades into the quietest of rebellions. —Author unknown
Reading this story made me think. I could hear my heart asking, “LORD, what can I DO that is noble like THAT? Like what Étienne did? What kind of difference can I make? What quiet rebellion against evil can ONE person lead every day, simply doing what we know to do that is RIGHT? Not just for ourselves but to influence others to do the same—again and again and again?”
“LORD, how can we be an example of steadfast faith in the midst of bitter hardships? Standing strong and immovable, even alone, in the face of overwhelming disbelief and deception? Showing grace in the midst of grief? Remaining faithful to holiness, righteousness, and Godly integrity, no matter what, to an audience of hundreds … or just ONE?”
I’m convinced that we don’t need a platform or a position or a following. We don’t need a megaphone or a ubiquitous online presence. We CAN—each of us—do our part to defend TRUTH and resist evil. Can we? Yes, while doing the necessary routines of our individual lives in our own corner of the world. How? God will show us when we say, “Here am I, Lord. You can use ME. Where You put ME, with whom You place ME, into the circle of influence You have given ME—by Your own sovereign will.”
Even if you’re the only ONE … and He is the solitary audience of ONE.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed and under-qualified for a particular task? The fact is: NO ONE comes to God’s job site pre-qualified. He knows that. “The LORD … knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” (Psalm 103:14 TLB) Isaiah also reminds us that even our best efforts are nothing but cast-offs—“filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6).
Here’s a good thought: “So, what truly qualifies us, then? Jesus is the only ONE who can qualify us. The Apostle Paul reminds us, ‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10).’ Jesus does not call the qualified; rather, he qualifies the called. Calling the unqualified has always been God’s specialty.” — Melinda Kirk, Links Players, “God Does Not Call the Qualified”
Who are the unqualified-made-qualified among us? Who have been the unseen influencers for eternal good? Who has quietly determined to stand up and out? Choosing integrity over celebrity … to be the ONE that’ll make a difference?
Think about it:
- Who was Charlie Kirk’s Sunday School teacher in the fifth grade when he gave his heart to Jesus?
- Who influenced Dietrich Bonhoeffer to turn from being a soft-spoken theologian into a resolute resister of evil … even to the death?
- Who inspired C. S. Lewis to turn 180 degrees from being an atheist into an outspoken Christian apologist?
- Who taught Dwight L. Moody and Charles H. Spurgeon to be strong in faith … and thereby leading thousands of others to do the same?
- Who showed Susanna Wesley how to raise Godly sons?
- Who are the unsung heroes of faith sprinkled among us that live out their faith every day in myriad ways? … and inspire us to do the same?
- Who causes us to want to reach higher, dig deeper, and hold on tighter to the singular truth of God’s Word?
- Who challenges us to speak louder, be bolder, stand taller for Jesus? Even if it’s only ONE?
LORD, here I am. Send me. Use me. I will be “the ONE.”
For some audio inspiration, listen to a great song by Babbie Mason: “I Will Be the One” … click ⤵️
