Tragedy and Triumph

Our family is reading about the life of Jonathon Goforth. He was a missionary to China. One of those most likely to fail fellows, and yet, God changed him and provided for him in a way that astounds those of us who live in the Western world in the 21st century.

After converting, Jonathon arrived at Knox College in Canada labeled the "Country Bumpkin". He was ridiculed and physically tormented by all of the classmates at Knox College. He persevered. He kept his eyes on Christ.

His testimony had a great affect on those around him. Those who had persecuted him ended up being his sole support in the endeavor to be a missionary to China. Jonathon was a presbyterian and they had no mission posts in China. But his classmates encouraged him to go anyway and financially supported him to do so.

After marrying Rosalind, they set sail for China. Within 3 years of being there, 2 of their 3 children died.

They persevered for the Kingdom.

As the "Ponderosa" reads through this biography, it makes us ponder:

~The pain of loss must have been so great.
~They must have had their eyes glued to the prize; keeping focused on the eternal.
~Jonathon and Rosalind's prayer lives were key. They entered their mission field on their knees.
~Do we pray first or do we just "do"?

Lord, make us doers of your Word, but doers on our knees. When pain creeps in, help us to keep our eyes on the prize. Change our hearts to see through your eyes. Our flesh continues to wage war against the Spirit. Romans 8:24-25 reminds us, You are the victor and overcomer. This is a mental battle we face most of the time. Help us to saturate our minds with your Word and continually meditate on you for the victory.