Day 287 Hmmmm

 

10/14/2025 

 "Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it.

We don't remember that we are creatures made in the

image of God. We don't understand the great 

secrets hidden inside of us."

Teresa of Avila 

 

Reading has always been a favorite pastime for me, but sometimes I get so busy reading scriptures that I don't leave time to read anything else. Not that that is bad, because it is the best and only way to grow in our personal relationship with God so that we can teach others and lead them to salvation. But, it is  edifying to the soul to find nourishment in other works that give God glory. As I've shared before, I always ached to go to the foreign mission field and serve God as a missionary. But it seems as if, try as I might, the doors of my dreams became closed for me, whether it be through discouragement, timing, or favor of God. I still have the same ache and emptiness within me that screams for a chance to serve in the mission field. I feel that I'm too old now, as most ministries prefer younger couples. Since being home, I have investigated possibilities in the old ministries in which I participated, but those I knew have passed on to glory and are in the presence of God right now. We should never look back, and God assures me, we are never too old to serve.

The book I picked up a few days was Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, a Pastor who spent 14 years in prison in Communist Romania, for sharing Christ. While imprisoned he continued to evangelize to his persecutors in spite of the torture he suffered. He wrote "I love the Communists with all of my heart." He also wrote that "Communists can kill Christians, but they cannot kill their love toward even those who killed them." What an amazing testimony of the transforming power of the love of Christ for another. He was betrayed by his friend, and even though he endured such trials in prison, he easily forgave his friend saying "we all make mistakes." The Bible speaks about the power of forgiveness, and it has been so clearly presented in Wurmbrand's life as in the lives of Corrie ten Boom and countless others. 

So far I have not been tortured for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I have been persecuted and warned not to share books with a certain family member, who had been reading the book of Revelation and asked me if I had a book she could read. I don't know why she became anxious after reading the Bible study guide, but she did, and I got blamed and verbally blasted. I've been betrayed by a Christian pastor, and I often wondered what I would do if I saw this man at the grocery store or elsewhere. Time went by, but when it did happen, I held no negative feelings towards him. The same is true of the first example. Neither of these cases compare to what Richard Wurmbrand experienced, but I can understand the power of forgiveness regardless of the situation. It sets us free, and even if they are never aware of it, it sets them free spiritually speaking.

Our lives are very different today than when I was growing up, but I always marveled at the missionary life, and I always wanted to be a part of sharing life, the gift of eternal life, with others. I'm sure that I have mentioned, many times probably, about my habit of reading stories about missionaries when I was a young child. I would spend a lot of time in the church library reading, imagining, and dreaming of some grand adventure. As a child, everything is an adventure, until reality hits home, as it often does. Regardless, as I've grown into the old lady that I now am, my heart still cries for Africa, and my heart grieves for the children whose innocence is stolen whether through abuse, neglect, war, or human trafficking. So many horrible things, unconscionable atrocities, sins of man upon innocent, trusting, vulnerable children. I don't understand it, and often I have asked God why it has to be this way, but I try to leave it in His all-knowing hands, but it hurts.

As Teresa of Avila says we all have a soul, and we are made in the image of God. We need to protect, value, and grow our relationship with Him. Again, I mention the secret place. He has so much that He longs to share with us as we sit quietly, reverently, in awe of His majesty, blessed by His appearing. Share your dreams with Him, and seek Him for the plans He has for you - plans to give you a future and a hope. I may never see the mission fields in another country, but I can hold them in my heart in prayer, and I can read about their lives in my monthly notices. I always pray, and I always will. My mission field for now is here with my family and the people He places in my path. Miracles in the making await the right response for a longing, empty heart. A soul who needs to know its value. We need only to ask, and Father will show us His desires. May we fill our hearts with gratitude for His faithfulness and blessings too many to count. But if you did count them, what would we say? How could we ever thank Him enough for breath, forgiveness, salvation, transformation, His mercy, His love, and His Amazing Grace. Start with honoring  Him for the first fruit of the air you breathe with each new morning.