Inspiring Stories

Have you ever read a story that moved you at your core and prompted you to change? Lately, I have been reading accounts of people who changed the world by how they lived out their faith in Jesus, and I have been challenged to reflect on my own life. These stories recount unimaginable sacrifices on the part of people who lived out their lives so that God would be glorified and people would come to know Him. Here are some examples of how I have been challenged by the stories I’ve read. I hope they will inspire you as well.

David Brainerd

David Brainerd lived in the early 1700s and, after surrendering his life to Christ at the age of 21, he became a missionary to the Native Americans in the northeastern United States. Brainerd lived with the barest essentials and devoted his time to reading the Bible extensively and praying fervently. Brainerd’s love for the American Indians compelled him to preach and translate God’s Word so that they might come to know the God of the Bible. At one point, he sold all his clothes and books and moved to a new ministry location, demonstrating his willingness to live in poverty to share the gospel in remote places. Many Native Americans came to faith in Christ because of his missionary efforts. He lived out his life in an incredibly sacrificial manner, often struggling with depression and illness, and he eventually succumbed to tuberculosis and died at the young age of 29. Much of what we know about his life is found in The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, published by Jonathan Edwards, who was a friend and mentor to Brainerd. Reading Brainerd’s diary challenged me to consider what I am willing to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. 

Lottie Moon

Lottie Moon’s name is well-known among Southern Baptists, since their annual offering for international missions is named in her memory, but the details of her life and the extent of her sacrifice for the sake of Christ are sometimes unknown. She lived mainly in the second half of the 1800s and faced tragedy early in her life due to the death of her father when she was only twelve. At eighteen, she surrendered her life to Christ and began to consider being a missionary, although serving as a single lady on the mission field was almost unheard of in her time. Lottie broke many cultural norms. For example, she was one of the first women in the South to earn a master’s degree. She cared for soldiers during the Civil War and taught Sunday School to both black and white children. At 33, she was appointed as a missionary, and she served for almost 40 years. She mainly ministered in China, facing loneliness, persecution, and famine. She longed for more people to answer the call to the mission field because she realized that at that time, there was only about one missionary for every fifty million people in China. She battled fatigue, terrible living conditions, and constant exposure to disease, yet she remained steadfast to her calling and shared the love of Christ with as many people as she could. She died at the age of 72, weighing a mere 50 pounds and having only one steamer trunk of possessions to her name, but her sacrifice resulted in many Chinese people coming to faith in Christ. Lottie’s life stands as a challenge for us to love others enough that we will sacrifice ourselves to share the love of Christ with them. 

Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie Ten Boom lived in the early 1900s, and after her mother passed away at a relatively young age, Betsie became the first woman in Holland to be a licensed watchmaker. She and her sister Betsie lived with their father as adults and worked in the family watchmaking business. They cared for foster children and shared Bible messages with them. After the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, Corrie and her family sought to help the Jewish people in any way they could. Eventually, they built a secret room in their house in which the Jews could hide. When the Nazis discovered the secret room, they imprisoned Corrie, Betsie, and their father. Sadly, their father passed away after only 10 days in prison. Corrie and Betsie were transferred first to Vught concentration camp in the Netherlands, and then to Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany. Despite the deplorable conditions, Betsie and Corrie taught the ladies there about the Bible and intentionally thanked God for even the smallest of blessings. For example, once they realized that the presence of fleas in their living quarters kept the guards from coming in, they thanked God for the fleas and the blessing they provided of being able to talk about the Bible freely in their quarters. Corrie faced the loss of her sister during their time of imprisonment, but before she died, Betsie told Corrie, “When we are set free from this terrible place…we must go over the world and tell everyone who will listen what we have proved to be true in this terrible place: that the love of God is stronger than the deepest darkness. They will believe us because we were here.” Although Betsie never left that terrible place, Corrie did, and she spent the rest of her life doing what Betsie had said; she travelled the world talking about the love, faithfulness, and power of God. More of her story can be found in the book The Hiding Place. Her example prompts me to look for the blessings in my life and thank the Lord for them.