Tied Feet

“We soon found that everything must go down before the claims of the children. Everything personal had, of course, gone down long ago, but now every missionary call had to be subordinated to these new demands.

“And yet, at the beginning, we were often tempted on this point. The new work seemed poorer than the old. The district where we had itinerated is twice as large as Wales and twice as populous, and farther afield opportunities had begun to open and, apart from the ordinary routine of mission work, calls had begun to come from many parts of the Madras Presidency and beyond. Could it be right to turn from so much that might be of profit (evangelistic tours, convention meetings for Christians and so on) and become just nursemaids? ‘Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God and went to God; He riseth from supper and laid aside His garments; and took a towel and girded Himself.’ He took a towel- the Lord of Glory did that. Is it the bondservant’s business to say which work is large and which is small, which unimportant and which worth doing? The question answered itself, and was not asked again. It was a foolish question, for the Master never wastes the servant’s time.

“Children tie the mother’s feet, the Tamils say, and Bishop Paget said, ‘With the venture of faith there is need of self-discipline and of effort.’ Babies are truly a venture of faith and, in India at least, they tie the mother’s feet. For there are no “Nannies” here, and we had seen enough of the difficulties of some missionaries, who had to use ayahs, to teach us that we could not be too careful of our children’s earliest years. So we let our feet be tied for love of Him whose feet were pierced.”1

My “feet have been tied” for almost six years now, and I would not trade these years for anything. It is God’s grace that has allowed me to see the beauty of having one’s feet tied. As with all of God’s ways, when we walk in them, we come to see Him more clearly. Oh how the world scorns His ways and tries to tell you that you are wasting your time or you are doing more than necessary. May we cling to His ways and resist the temptations of the world. As the Scripture says, “the world and all its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”




1 taken from Gold Cord, by Amy Carmichael

Call To Prayer

Today is a day of great confusion and pain for many in our country. Today countless young people will be deceived and seduced by the world's idea of love. Movies, television, books, magazines, the Internet, music, and peers are all busy teaching young men and women what love is. Yet the great majority of these teachers are false teachers, inspired by the serpent of old.

May we, whose eyes have been opened to the truth, not sit by passively watching the blind lead the blind. Let us lift our voice, declaring the truth we have found. And for our children, let us cut off the channels that false teachers are seeking to use to lead our children astray. In the same way that we seek to fill our children with food that is to their benefit, let us fill their mind with ideas and teachings that are for their benefit.

Today is a great day to teach our children about true love. And a day to remind ourselves what true love really is. Let us turn away from the worlds teaching and let us look into the Word of God, in order to see the Word of God. Jesus Christ demonstrated love for God and love for others perfectly. May we walk in His steps! And may we glorify God as we rejoice in the truth that because of Christ, God has lavished His love on us and called us His children!

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8

Let us pray:

1) His love, Calvary love, would permeate our lives.
2) That our children would know His perfect love.
3) That we would be a beacon of hope and truth for a lost and dying world.

"This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience- it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.

Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it shares the joy of those who live by the truth.

Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"The fruit of the Spirit is love..." Galatians 5:22

Poem Of The Week

You may have noticed that I really love Amy Carmichael's poetry. I studied English Literature in college; so I had ample opportunity to fall in love with poetry. It just never happened. It never connected with me. I believe poetry is meant to inspire us and affect our hearts.

From the very moment I first heard Amy Carmichael's poetry I was hooked. So, I thought it would be good to share. You will find a new link entitled "Poetry For Your Heart" on the right side of the page. Each week I will add a new poem for your enjoyment. I hope that you too will find great delight in reading her works.