I’m re-reading a biography of Amy Carmichael titled “A Chance to Die,” written by Elisabeth Elliot, with my third child’s book group and something different struck me this time in the chapter titled, “The Inescapable Calling.”
Amy is riding a gig along a country road one day with a man her family affectionately called “D.O.M.,” short for “Dear Old Man.” As they were riding along they came upon a stone breaker and the D.O.M. asked Amy a question:
“Which blow breaks the stone?”
She must have wondered what he meant by it. Is it the last blow? He explained:
“Thee must never say, thee must never even let thyself think, ‘I won that soul for Christ.’ It is the first blow and the last, and every one in between.”
What a timeless truth. The D.O.M. taught Amy that God’s sovereign work through many blows is what breaks the stone, not her own personal efforts in one blow. She is a part of a work much bigger than herself and she must never lose sight of that reality. What a good reminder for a homeschooling mom as well, indeed.