The Little Digger

A month ago I helped organize a kids’ camp for the Fundamental Baptist churches in the Tagalog region. I had a “cute” little encounter with a little girl that I can’t seem to forget.

It was time for the kids’ siesta but not all of them wanted to have a nap. Some of them just strolled and played quietly in the camp grounds. I was strolling too taking pictures of those who are having their counseling time. I happened by a girl who seemed to me was playing with dirt. When I got closer I saw that she was holding a small branch. I asked her what she was doing.

“Nagdidig po ako [I’m digging],” she answered.

“Oh, nagdidig ka… [Oh, you’re digging…]” I started.

“Magaling po ako magdig [I am very good at digging],” she said cutting me off.
“Masaya po kasi magdig [It’s so much fun to dig]! Magdig rin po kayo o [You can dig with me too].”

“Naku thank you pero wag na lang kasi may ginagawa pa akong iba eh [Oh thank you, but I’m doing something else].”

For me she doesn’t seem to be digging for anything but merely playing with dirt.

“Bakit ka nga pala nagdidig [By the way, why are you digging]?” I asked again.

She just shrugged and said, “Wala lang po, gusto ko lang magdig [I just want to dig]. Paglaki ko po gusto ko magdig ng mas malaki at tsaka malalim [When I grow up I want to dig bigger and deeper holes]. Tingnan nyo po puro maliliit pa lang kasi po maliit pa ako [Look, I only got small holes because I am still [a] small [girl]].”

True enough when I looked more closely around her, there were small and shallow holes around her.

“O sige, sana nga paglaki mo mas malaki pa at malalim ang mahukay mo [Oh… well, I hope that when you grow up you’ll dig bigger holes]. Sige alis na si ate ha [Okay, I have to go now].”

“Bye, Ate.”

I left her and looked back a few times to see if she went on digging. She did. I wanted to laugh at her silly digging work when our conversation began but when our conversation ended I found myself very much amused of her perseverance and faithfulness.

Not only her perseverance and faithfulness amused me but also her vision. Yes, this girl has a vision and a vision that she wants to be realized by giving time and working on it now. Young as she is and however silly an adult may find her vision of digging, she has a vision.

My dear friend Mr. Webster defines vision in this context as 1) a dream; a prophetic presentiment as in a dream 2) the ability to anticipate and make provision for future events.

I wonder how many of us teenagers have a vision? Perhaps we have had plenty of visions but until now they still remain visions. Dreams still dreams.

I find Mr. Webster’s second definition with a more profound meaning directly addressed to young people. It is those who are young who have newer and more ideas than adults who have already passed their youth and have gone past their visions. It is those who are in their youth who have the ability to anticipate yet in our generation there seems to be a prevalent sluggishness to make provision or preparation for future events.

Youths are often tagged by adults as dreamers and seldomly doers. It is a shame that we are viewed like this. Months ago I received this text message: Dreams come true when you stop dreaming and wake up to make it come true. This irony is so true. It is when we stop too much contemplating and taking action that a vision becomes a reality.

Working out through a vision may be stressful and would present many trials yet as I have read in one of my many readings: Perseverance and patience are a result of seeing the big picture.



Perseverance, patience and faithfulness are just some of the things that contribute to a realization of a vision. Our little digger here has a vision of being a great digger and she is preparing for it now by digging little holes which she intend to make bigger and deeper as she grows up. If a little girl can do this, how much more can we teens do if we just choose to act.

For us teens, what is it that we intend to do with our visions? Let us remember that we won’t be in our youths forever. Ecclesiastes 12 states just that. Let us make use of our time while we are still young. Let us use it while we still have our physical strength at its peak to exert effort in realizing our visions and most especially in advancing His kingdom. For His kingdom let us be more than dreamers and visionaries.

“What are you going to be when you grow up?...
….I’m already ‘being’ now.”

~Brock Tully