Where Will They Burry Your Heart :: essays research papers

Where Will They Bury Your Heart? I have always found profound inspiration in the stories of men and women who lived and died for Christ. In fact, their incredible level of commitment is a measuring stick for my life; their undying courage is a source of my encouragement; and their burning passion is the light to my personal mission. Where would I be without the stories of these seemingly ordinary people who behaved extraordinarily against impossible odds? My faith is lifted each time I recall these true heroes. For me, one of the most moving is the powerful story of David Livingstone and the sacrifices he made to open the great continent of Africa to Christianity. When I first heard this story, I was already very familiar with the hardships that missionaries regularly endure. But the day I heard Livingstone’s story, I was finally able to embrace the extreme price one man paid. Travel with me to the year 1857. David Livingstone had already lived in the land of, â€Å"the thousand villages where no missionary has ever been† for sixteen years. He is now back in England, ready to address Cambridge university students. The custom of the time is for the students to heckle the speaker—all in fun. This day is no exception. The students have peashooters and noisemakers of every description. They’re ready for whoever this man might be. Then David Livingstone slowly walks to the podium with the step of a man who has walked 11,000 miles. His left arm hangs dead at his side, having been nearly ripped from his body by a lion, his shoulder crushed into splinters. His skin is a dark, leathery brown from sixteen years in the African sun. His face is furrowed with innumerable lines from bouts with African fever, which have also racked and emaciated his body. His physical being is wasted. He is half deaf from rheumatic fever and half blind from a tree branch that whipped him in the eyes while traveling through the jungle. The students are staring. They know this is not just another guest speaker. Before them is a man to be taken seriously. This is a life that was literally being burned out for God. As he begins to speak they learn that Livingstone’s journey began as a young man in Scotland. It was there that he prayed, â€Å"Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.