Following the Crucified

Recently I just finished reading Elisabeth Elliot's biography of Amy Carmichael, and I would highly recommend the book to anyone and everyone.  The book inspired and challenged me by revealing Amma's (Amy Carmichael was called "Amma" by the hundreds who were served by her during her life in India) desire for God, her fervent dedication to prayer and her vision; yet at the same time it allowed me to glimpse her struggles and hardships....some of which I may experience.  But perhaps the characteristic I admire the most was her passion for preaching the gospel in every area of her life.  When asked about how many thousands of toenails she must have cut - a task no one in strict Indian caste society would have accepted pay to perform - she replied, "I said I would never do any work but 'preach the gospel.' It takes some of us years to learn what preaching the gospel means."

What she meant was that a verbal presentation of the gospel is incomplete without a physical picture of "good news" as well.  It's not hard to guess why this is one of my favorite characteristics in her, but even so, I'm struck by how rarely this character trait is present in my own life.  For example, Amma's rule was to "be the first wherever there is a sacrifice to be made, a self-denial to be practiced, or an impetus to be given."  Wow.  How often am I striving to be the first to make a sacrifice or to deny myself something I want?  Rarely!  Sure, I'll do it if asked, but am I elbowing my way to the front of the sacrifice line so that I can be the one to give so others don't have to?  

Amma understood that sacrifice was the example Christ had set for every disciple, and that her new identity in Him was that of self-denial for others (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).  "No work," she said, "that is set on following the Crucified escapes the Cross."