Roll it on the Lord

For my internship, I am required to choose one missionary biography and one book on mission's strategy. I have already shared from the strategy book, Walking with the Poor, but I would like to share something from my biography on J. Hudson Taylor. He was an incredibly influential missionary to China in the late 1800s and was also the founder of China Inland Mission (CIM) a missions organization which in now Overseas Missionary Fellowship International. (OMF). God did extraordinary work through him, but his life was far from comfortable. I am almost done reading the biography and am contemplating starting it again right away because I am increasingly encouraged and humbled with every page I read.

Taylor was unhealthily busy for the majority of his life. He traveled back and forth between China and England trying to organize new missionaries and raising awareness to the needs of the millions who had still not heard the Word of God in China. He also published and edited a newsletter/paper that went out to all his supporters called China's Millions. Several times he came down with dysentery, almost died on journeys multiple times, and was away from his family for months on end. My words fall far short of the astounding work he accomplished in the Lord, but I have a quote that brings light to how he survived with joy and thanksgiving. When asked how he can whistle a hymn while some of his missionaries were facing illness and violence he replied, "Suppose I were to sit down here and burden my heart with all these things; that wouldn't help them, and that would unfit me for the work I have to do. I have just to roll the burden on the Lord." Wow. What if we decided to follow his example with the small things in life that burdenu\ us? How different our days would be...

Sometimes I wonder if I could be like these great Kingdom workers. I desire that with a burning passion, and I know that if I pursue that goal, with His blessing, I could be His weak, but obedient vessel. Do you desire that as well?