My Thoughts on Kisses from Katie

I love to read! I always have and I hope I always will. It is one of my favorite things to do. However, I’ve never been a fan of nonfiction. So, one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to read more nonfiction-particularly of the Christian genre.  I knew that by reading these types of books, I would learn more plus I would be challenged in my own life. Another reason is that Lee reads so many books for school and by me reading some also, it would provide topics of discussion for us.

 

So far we are in the 3^rd month of the new year and I have read 3 nonfiction books! I’m currently starting on my  4^th. I’m proud of myself for keeping this resolution because let’s be honest how often do we keep resolutions.

One of those nonfiction books I read that has had the biggest impact on my life has been Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. Katie Davis was a normal teenager. She lived in Tennessee with her mom, dad, and younger brother. She was her senior class president and homecoming queen. She had a boyfriend who she considered the love of her life. However, she also had a heart for following Jesus. During her senior year in high school, she went on a short-term mission trip to Uganda. After she graduated from high school, she returned to Uganda to be a missionary there for a year. She promised her parents that after that year, she would return home and attend college. After that year, she did return for a semester of college, but she knew that going to college and living in America was not God’s plan for her life.

She now resides in Uganda. She is in the process of adopting the 13 girls who she is currently the foster parent for. She started Amazima ministries which helps children in Uganda attend school, it feeds people in Uganda, and it helps provide a job for some women in Uganda. She opens her home to anyone who needs her help and love. She is only 23 years old.

The fact that she has done all this plus written a book by the age of 23 really struck me because she is only a few months younger than me. It does not matter how old you are, God can use you if you will follow him!

Now there are a few ways to look at this book. Some people look at it and think no way-there’s no way I could do that-good for her, but not for me. Other people may think wow, God has really blessed her-I must not be doing God’s will because he hasn’t blessed me like that. Still others may think I need to give up everything and move to a 3^rd world country so that God can use me too.

I didn’t think any of these things.

For me, this book was simply an inspiration to follow God where he calls me to be. God has not called all of us to live in 3^rd world countries. God has not called all of us to write books and start nonprofit organizations. We have to do what God has called us to do not what he has called someone else to do.

For me, this book also opened my eyes to the poverty and hopelessness that is out there in the world. It is so easy to not think about those things when we live in a comfy home with everything we need and a lot of what we want. As Christians, though, we cannot ignore those who need our help. 

I would like to share some things that Katie said in her book that stuck out to me. In the introduction of the book she talks about how Uganda is kind of a scary place to live. There is a lot of disease, uncertainty, and war. Her response is this: “I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.” Also in the introduction, she talks about Psalm 37:4 which says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.” Many people may read this and think great-I go to church, read my bible, live as a “good” Christian, etc. and God will give me whatever I want. This is not true. If we truly delight ourselves in Him, he will begin to change our heart so that it matches His. Katie says: “This is not a life that I dreamed up on my own or even knew I desired. I am watching God work, and as I ‘delight myself in the Lord’ by doing what He asks of me and by saying yes to the needs he places in front of me, He is changing the desires of my heart and aligning them with the desires of His.” This statement really spoke to me because I am beginning to experience this in my own life.

A few chapters into the book, she talks about how in America, in her “previous life,” she would have easily paid $100 for a new pair of shoes. In Uganda $100 could provide a starving family with food for months! This really put things into perspective for me. We spend so much on our wants when we could be spending that money to help others with their needs. She goes on in the next few chapters talking about the devastation of poverty in this country. She compares this to the extravagance we live in. I began to realize how much God has blessed me and how I cannot continue to be greedy and materialistic. 1 John 3:17 tells us “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” Similarly, Katie says, “I began to realize huge flaws and gaps in my faith, a wide chasm between what I proclaimed to believe and how I was actually living.” How often do we simply just attend church or say we’re Christians? Our lives should be producing fruit. There should be actions behind our words.

Katie spends a lot of time also talking about how inadequate she is. She talks about how she is just a normal person. The only difference is that she said yes to God. She chose to follow Him wherever he was leading her. When you say yes to God, he can do extraordinary things through you.

One last thing that really stuck out to me was how she talked about the things we take for granted. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never worried about where my next meal is coming from or whether or not I’ll have clothes to wear. I’ve never worried about getting a good education so that I can have a job and provide. I’ve never worried about where I’m going to lay my head at night or what would happen if I got sick. We take all of these things for granted. Food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, etc. are not guaranteed to everyone. The thing that happens, though, when we have all of these things is that we don’t have to rely on God to provide. We feel like we’re self-sufficient. The people of Uganda and other similar countries have to fully rely on God to provide their needs daily. They may not know where their next meal is coming from. They may not know if their child will be able to attend school. They may not know if they’re going to survive through the night. Sometimes, I feel like they know God better than we do. Now when I pray, I try to remember to thank God for these little things that I’ve taken for granted.

There is so much more I could say on this book and the subjects it brings up. I would encourage you to read Kisses from Katie if you have not. Don’t let it turn you away because you think nope that is not the life for me or I must not be a good Christian because I’ve not been blessed in my ministry like her. View it as an opportunity to be encouraged and challenged to follow God where he leads you. Also, let it show you that there is a world out there beyond our own. Let God show you what he would have you do to help people like the people of Uganda.

If you have read this book, I would love to know your thoughts.