Wednesday, January 11, 2006

A bumpy ride

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2Corinthians 4:17).

In 1857, at the outbreak of the Sepoy Rebellion in India, the Hindus tried to slaughter as many of the occupying Englishmen as they could, especially military officers and their families. One such officer, along with his wife, had gone to a neighboring town, unaware that danger was imminent. They had left their little daughter at home in the care of a native nurse whom the little girl was very fond of. When the uprising against the British began, little Ellen was in mortal danger regardless of her young age because she had white skin and was a child of an officer. But her father’s countrymen did not forget about her. One of them galloped to her home, snatched her from her native nurse, and took off on his horse holding Ellen in front of him.

By this time the streets were filled with shouting, frenzied people. They tried to stop the horse and kill both rider and child. But the man drew his saber and fought every foot of the way, all the while holding the little girl firmly in his left arm. Naturally, she was terrified. She kicked and struggled and cried. Several times she almost slipped from his arms. This made his efforts to ride and protect her much more difficult, but at last he got free of the crowd and, after a long hard ride, he delivered his little charge to her mother.

We can only imagine the frantic joy these parents knew as they were reunited with their daughter. Their gratitude towards the rider knew no bounds. But their daughter did not share their gratitude; she felt deep resentment towards her rescuer. He had held her so roughly; he had jolted her so much during the ride; he had refused to let her go back to her nurse. How could such a rude man be considered a friend? Under no circumstances could she be persuaded to kiss him or even thank him. As she grew older, Ellen must have come to realize that the bumps and jolts that she received during the wild ride were the unavoidable side effects of being rescued. But at the time, all she looked at was the superficial--because her ride was rough, she concluded that the rider did not like her.

The life of a Christian is not a smooth ride either; it is filled with terrifying bumps and jolts. Sometimes, people conclude from the pains these cause that God does not love them. They ask, "how can a loving God let me be hurt this way?" Just remember Ellen and her terrifying ride to safety as her rescuer fought to save her life; every jolt is a reminder that Jesus is fighting Satan to bring you safely home.

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