Prodigal: How is the day.

Me: I have all kinds of flights of fancy.

Prodigal: That is ok.

This is from Timeless Stories by Vance Christie

In the fall of 1888 Hudson Taylor was ministering in Canada. During the train trip to Montreal, Taylor’s traveling companion, Henry Frost, read a critical magazine article entitled ‘Hudson Taylor in Toronto,’ Angered by the article’s contents, Frost tried to hide it under a stack of papers. Taylor, however, had heard about the article and picking it up read:

Hudson Taylor is rather disappointing. I had in my mind an idea of what great missionaries should look like. He being professedly one of the great missionaries of modern times must be such as they. But he is not. A stranger would never notice him on the street except, perhaps, to say that he is a good-natured looking Englishman. Nor is his voice in the least degree majestic. He displays little oratorical power. He elicits little applause…launches no thunderbolts. Even our (Jonathan) Godforth used to plead more eloquently for China’s millions, and apparently with more effect. It is quite possible that were Mr. Taylor, under another name, to preach as a candidate in our Ontario (pulpit) vacancies there are those who would begrudge him his probationer’s pay.

Taylor laid down the magazine and was quiet for a time. Then he smiled at Frost and said, “This is very just criticism, for it is all true. I have often thought that God made me little in order that He might show what a great God He is.”

And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. Genesis 32:1 (KJV)

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org