Two Little Words

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In the Shirley Temple years of my faith—young, curly, and cute—I was invited to participate in a “Cell” group in my church. The group my husband and I became a part of was coveted by other church attendees because we had some heavy lifters in the fold. The leader was the Senior Pastor and we had a “deep bench” in the sense that other people in our party of twelve had extensive Biblical training.

Laura from our group gave me a book. Her husband was a senior editor with Multnomah Publishers and I considered anything from her to be “informed.” The book, Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot, was one of Laura’s favorites, she told me. It impacted me deeply and I treasure it to this day.

When I read Keep a Quiet Heart nearly 25 years ago, I was impressed by Mrs. Elliot’s simple directive to trust and obey God. She spoke of knowing God:

“We are created to glorify Him as long as we live on this planet, and to enjoy Him for the rest of eternity. Our task is simply to trust and obey.”

“A willing acceptance of all that God assigns and a glad surrender of all that I am and have constitute the key to receiving the gift of a quiet heart. Whenever I have balked, the quietness goes. It is restored, and life immeasurably simplified, when I have trusted and obeyed.”

I began listening to Elisabeth Elliot’s Gateway to Joy program on my local Christian radio station, and read the incredible account of her mission experience with the Auca Indians. She lost her husband, Jim Elliot, in a tragic outreach experiment and then spent eight years with her young daughter living and working with the people who killed her beloved.

I challenge myself to remember what it felt like in those early days as a follower of Jesus. The lingo in Christianville was easy to adopt and I folded into the church community with little resistance. I had accepted the free gift of salvation again and again in my 20’s and early 30’s, asking Jesus into my heart. Honestly, there was no risk and no big change on my part required. I learned a new language and parroted what I heard and read.

Everything changed when I read the Bible. I found out the rest of the story all right. The teeth to that statement that I was a sinner in need of a savior were sharp and deadly. I learned right there in black and white (and some red letters when Jesus spoke) about God’s requirement for me to be holy and pure to be accepted into His perfect world. I am sure people said this early and often when I started attending church, but I did not GET IT until I read it myself.

Jesus, Savior of the world, is everything. I am forgiven and accepted by God because in the book of Romans, I read that if I acknowledge Jesus is Lord, and I believe God raised Him from the dead I would be saved. In the book of 1 John, I read that if I confess my sin, He would forgive me. He said it. I did it. That settles it.

Sometimes I live my life like I really believe that God is in control of me and my people and all that concerns us. It is glorious to possess the knowledge and belief that my redeemer lives. Sometimes I live my life like I believe I am in control. It is terrible when I catch myself in a state of disarray trying to force solutions. Then wonderful peace returns when I remember where the power rests. The facts never changed. I periodically suffer from a messed-up point of view.

In my early years as a believer, I felt utterly unstoppable, miraculously unshackled, abundantly loved, and wholly forgiven. My burdensome backpack of useless baggage fell down a hillside never to be retrieved. Jesus said (in red), “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Yes, I remember. I want these truths for everyone. So does Jesus.

In her day, Shirley Temple was an irresistible package of youth and joy. She wrangled the frown off of any old soul down on their luck and turned it around with a skip and a song:

“Troubles are just like lollipops – they’re here, they’re gone.”

“Life has its little ups and downs, downs and ups, ups and downs, life has its funny little ups a daisy crazy ups and downs.”

I felt just like Shirley Temple as a young believer. I loved her when I was a girl. I resonated with her upbeat presence. As an adult, I could imagine my redeemed tap shoe-clad feet clickity-clacking for unsaved souls to enter the gates of eternal security with Jesus. Isn’t He wonderful? Isn’t He beautiful? “Right this way to your new life,” I would tell you.

Days, weeks, months, and years have passed. Some days it feels like the Time Traveler has his heavy hand on the lever of the time machine and years speed by. Trouble creeps in and I sneak along behind it, a slayer of disruptions large and small. I believe I will catch them in my trusty net and destroy them. Heartache rushes in uninvited, a meteor from far off, cast into my happy life and crushing it. Sorrow comes and I don’t want it. I don’t want you to have it either.

Elisabeth Elliot knew hardship, and she chose to trust and obey. She served the Lord all the days (and husbands) he gave her. She taught and encouraged thousands, and I was among them. Her radio program always ended with her gentle words of encouragement from the book of Isaiah:

“You are loved with an everlasting love. And underneath are the everlasting arms.”

That Cell group of mine raised me up as a young believer. I learned how to study the Bible, pray for myself and others, lead studies for women and serve in the local church as well as missions. I am still learning and growing, and Lord willing, will continue until my silver cord of life snaps, my golden bowl is broken, the dust of my body returns to the earth and my spirit returns to God who gave it.

My friend, Laura, had a deadly foe. She died at a young age just as her daughter was graduating from high school. Our church and community lost a woman whose feet came with a beautiful message of hope. She placed a book in my hands that said (among many others) that there is no other way than to trust and obey. I believe it. So help me, God, I will practice it.