My devotional tonight is by my friend, Joe Goodspeed. Joe is a longtme minister of the Gospel who now writes extensively on Facebook. He is also the father of our WCS librarian, Dinae King, and the father in law of Randy King, my insurance agent and my brother Dave's college roommate!
My late esteemed fellow teacher, Tom Allen, could tell this story far better than I, but in 1834 John Stuart Mill was under contract to write a history of the French Revolution. But Mill was strapped for time, so he commissioned his friend Thomas Carlyle, who was most capable for the task, to do the writing.
When the first volume in the series was completed, Mill borrowed it to read it at home, but Mill's maid, who could not read, mistook it for scrap paper and burned most of the manuscript.
Put yourself in Carlyle's place, and think of the laborious work all gone up in smoke. But thanks to a good memory and very uncommon patience, Carlyle set himself to the task, and in time produced all promised volumes.
It's hard to imagine a greater example of patience. The work was a tremendous success and is still in print after all these years. Remember the Bible teaching of adding to one's faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Simon Peter goes on to say that those qualities should be in us and abound (2 Peter 1). (Thanks to yoke-fellow John Gipson for guiding me to this great story.
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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