Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

by Ellen Vaughn

“The more you accept daily crosses as daily bread, in peace and simplicity, the less they will injure your frail, delicate health; but forebodings and frettings would soon kill you.” —François de la Mothe-Fénelon

“But I felt that it was not my job to take over the church simply because I was competent to do it. It was my job to encourage these men so that they would become competent.”1

God is not a cosmic plumber who shows up to make things run smoothly for us. When He doesn’t fix broken situations in our lives, it’s usually because He is fixing us through them.

But God’s designs are woven into the fabric of the universe, true for His own Son and true for the human beings He died to save. Obedience.

Betty knew that it was “always hard to look at things spiritually, especially when they look a mess.” One could easily fall into one of two extremes analyzing the work among the Waodani. One is cheery triumphalism, which shines up the story, glosses over any inconvenient failures, quote amazing “results,” and pass the plate. The other is to focus solely on human flaws, magnify any weaknesses, and bitterly discredit the entire work as a failure. The hard road is to see both the good and bad, know that God works in all kinds of ways through all kinds of people,

and praise Him that He is sovereign over it all.

Yet as the Master shall the servant be, And pierced are the feet that follow Me; But thine are whole. Can he have followed far Who has no wound nor scar?3