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Topic:
A Place Like This
In his book When Iron Gates Yield, a British
missionary to Tibet, a captive of the Chinese Communists for three
years, tells of an experience one December twenty-fourth. After a long,
tiring day crossing a famous mountain pass and stumbling down the other
side amid heavy wind, his captors brought him to a small group of houses
about 4:30 that afternoon. A Tibetan landlord had swept out an upstairs
room for the missionary-prisoner, who had rarely seen cleaner
accommodations in a Central Asian country. After a meal, when it was
already dark, he was ordered to go downstairs to give hay to the horses.
He clambered down the notched tree trunk to the lower floor which was
given over in the usual custom to stabling. It was pitch-black. The
missionary described his feelings, "My boots squished in the manure
and straw on the floor and the fetid smell of the animals was
nauseating. I felt my way amongst the mules and horses, expecting to be
kicked any moment. What a place, I thought. Then as I continued to grope
my way in the darkness towards the hay it suddenly flashed into my mind.
What's today? I thought for a moment. In the traveling, the days had
become a little muddled in my mind. Then it came to me. It's Christmas
Eve. I stood suddenly still in that oriental manger. To think that my
Savior was born in a place like this. To think that He came all the way
from heaven to some wretched, eastern stable, and what is more, to think
that He came for me. How men beautify the crib and the cross, as if to
hide the fact that at birth we resigned him to the stench of beasts and
at death exposed him to the shame of rogues. God forgive us. I returned
to the warm, clean room, which I enjoyed even as a prisoner, bowed to
thankfulness and worship."
Data Source: Fredericksburg Church of Christ, 507
N. Llano St., Fredericksburg TX 78624
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These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care Ministries Sites
called Wisdom Minute. This site is located at:
http://www.findthepower.com/wisdomminute
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