As In a Mirror

This week’s inspiring story–my utmost sincere apologies for the unprecedented delay– once again focuses on Amy Carmichael, Irish Presbyterian missionary to India. Only, this time, the story focuses on when she was seventeen years old, still living in Belfast, Ireland with her family. It was just her, her mother, four brothers and two sisters; her father had recently died. Here is an excerpt from the book A Chance to Die, by Elisabeth Elliot.

The preocupations of seventeen-year-old girls–their looks, their clothes, their social life–do not change very much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy was one of the few.

The decisive moment which determined the direction of her life came on a dull Sunday morning in Belfast as the family was returning from church. They saw what they had never seen before in Presbyterian Belfast–an old woman lugging a heavy bundle. Amy and her brothers turned around, took the bundle, and helped her along by the arms. “This meant facing all the respectable people who were, like ourselves, on their way home. It was a horrid moment. We were only two boys and a girl, and not at all exalted Christians. We hated doing it. Crimson all over (at least we felt crimson, soul and body of us) we plodded on, a wet wind blowing us about, and blowing, too, the rags of the poor old woman, till she seemed like a bundle of feathers and we unhappily mixed up in them.”

In the middle of the street was a beautiful Victorian fountain. As Amy and her brothers trudged passed it with the old woman and her bundle, Amy distinctly heard a strong voice coming from the waters of that fountain. It said, “Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble–every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be declared by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide…” (1 Corinthians 3:12-14)

Amy turned to see who had spoken. There was nothing but the fountain, the muddy street, the people with their politely surprised faces. The children plodded on with the bundle of feathers, but something had happened to the girl which changed forever life’s values. That afternoon she shut herself in her room. It was time to settle some immensely important things, and things of that sort Amy Carmichael settled alone with God.”

Young Amy Carmichael began to organize meetings with the poor city children in the labor force. She worked at the YWCA, held classes for poor girls, and helped anyone she could. But she still felt it not enough. The Lord showed Amy that He was able to keep her from falling. (Jude 1:24) Would she trust Him with her life? Would she do what was right and leave the results in His hands, not fearing the people? More important, would she trust that He alone made her holy?

The Lord would eventually lead Amy to India, where she would stay for the rest of her life, rescuing His precious gems. But I won’t give it all away; I’ll let you find out for yourself!

Not every one of us can go to foreign lands and preach the gospel to the pagans. But every one of us has been given his part in laying “the foundation.” Will it last?

Certainly some of us have been blessed with the tool of blogs! This meme especially, hosted by Miss Symanski, is a great tool.