The Stories Untold

This little basket with the woodland creatures nestled

 inside was given to me when I was going through cancer treatments.

This month I celebrate 7 years cancer free!

 

We read about people and the accomplishments they have made and why they did it. And we thank God for their witness and testimony. Our thoughts about them are usually left there and we move on. Yet beneath the layers of a famous or well known person are dark seasons they've survived, or not. 

 

I recently read about Eric Liddell, the Scottish runner whose story is told in the movie Chariots of Fire. How he wouldn't race on Sunday because of his faith. But there's more to his story.

 

"After winning the men’s 400-meter race at the 1924 Paris Olympics, he left as a missionary to China. In 1943, during the Japanese invasion of China, Eric was imprisoned in the Weihsien Internment Camp along with numbers of missionary children. There he served with enormous courage until sidelined by a brain tumor. 

 

"On Sunday, February 18, 1945, as he lay dying in the camp hospital, he had his nurse pass a note out the window, asking the camp’s SS band to play his favorite hymn, “Be Still, My Soul.,” which they did. Three days later, he was with the Lord."

 

A friend at church treated me to a motor cycle ride when I finished my treatments.

 I hadn't rode on one for many a year. The thrill was still there! 

 

All of us have stories that no one knows about that have influenced our lives today. They may not be as dramatic as Eric's life, but there certainly have been times we have made choices based on our faith and lost something valuable.

 

Everybody has a story. That's why I do a lot of listening instead of talking. To find the story in another that may not be visible in casual conversation. Understanding a person's life and the storms they survived can encourage my heart with whatever I'm going through.

 

Be Still my Soul

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side. 

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still my soul, thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
 

 

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.” Psalm 46:10 

 

Everybody has stories. Even all of us unfamous people (except in God's eyes) who go about everyday life doing our best to walk the path God has chosen for us. And remember that your story, even yours, can bring great encouragement to another person as they walk their life path.

 

The next time you see someone who has done something extraordinary for God, keep in mind that there's another story or two that has never been told. That's where you'll find the courage that has made them what they are today.

 

 

I still had hair after the treatments! Happy day!