It is
fitting on the eve of Memorial Day to write about an individual, Oswald
Chambers, who served soldiers in Egypt from 1915-1917 as a chaplain before his
death (1917) in Cairo after an emergency appendectomy.
In college a
roommate tried to get me to read his most famous work, MY UTMOST FOR HIS
HIGHEST, but I never liked reading what others picked out. When we graduated
she gave it and several other books to me, but they stayed in boxes for years
and finally were sold at a yard sale. Some years later I was helping folks at
my church weed through the library collection in preparation for moving to a
new part of the building. A copy of the book was in the discard pile; I grabbed
it out and took it home.
It stayed on my book case for more years until I was
looking for something to read about Christianity. The book filled my need to
reflect on the promises of God. The perspectives Oswald Chambers presents are
fresh, but the truths are orthodox. Each entry opens with a Bible verse. There
is one page for each day of the year. But the lengthy topical index helps
locate a message for a specific need so I found myself skipping through the
pages reading chunks at a time.
I have found more truth and guidance in that
little book than any other text about Christianity. I have since bought a copy
for a friend and even given my own worn copy filled with sticky-notes of
favorite passages away as well. Not too long ago, I did purchase another one and continue to soak up its wisdom.
I have been sharing and wrestling in this blog with complicated
ideas from a variety of authors, but a wise friend once reminded me to “keep it
simple.” This evening I read in Chambers’ book that “simplicity and leisureliness”
ought to “characterize the children of God.” (read the whole entry here)
And so I leave the question - what
is truth? - with Jesus’ answer in one of his final prayers to the Father, “Your
word is truth.” John 17:17
