Fighting the Good Fight . . .
| TODAY: Make a special effort to find examples of courage in the face of religious conflict and religious persecution — in Africa, in south Asia, in eastern Europe, in the United States. Go to the library, the encyclopedia or the Internet to find more information about one of these conflicts. |
This is one of my favorite Biblical passages, as it assures those
of us who choose to carry out its (admittedly difficult) task that
our suffering is not in vain. As we read in the passage immedi- ately
following it, we will be rewarded with the “crown of righteousness.”
This crown, of course, is not a jewelry-laden diadem, but rather the mark
of honor for a well-led life.
In the past year, I have been inspired by numerous stories of people
“fighting the good fight” in the face of what appear to be overwhelming
obstacles. Three stories, in particular, stand out.
One of my co-workers, Ambassador Aurel Munteanu, grew up in Romania. He
is a devout Christian, but was forced to practice his faith in private,
for fear of blackmail, torture or death. After living under this yoke
of communism, he and several colleagues planned and led the 1989 overthrow
of dictator Nicolas Ceaceascau. Aurel went on to become Romania’s
ambassador to the United Nations and president of the UN Security Council
during the Gulf War. Today, he is one of the world’s leading advocates
of religious freedom
throughout the world.
Aurel and his friends fought the good fight.
Modern-day martyrs can be found throughout the world. They practice their Christian beliefs in the full knowledge that they face torture and even death. They understand that if the answer to the cynic’s question “Can anything be worth dying for?” is “No,” so too must be the answer to the question “Is anything worth living for?”
Zhong Ju Yu, a Protestant missionary in China, answered both questions with a yes and paid with her life. She was beaten to death last summer by those who didn’t believe in her right to spread her faith to her fellow Chinese people. It is important to remember that genuine faithfulness to God’s word is threatening to those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum: In the past year, thousands of martyrs finished their earthly race, including, unfortunately, Ju Yu.
Earlier this spring, I visited Kenya with my cousin and three friends in order to appreciate the African culture and to see the works of the Makena Foundation, a charity I support. There, I met Ruoro, a 13-year-old boy who lost his parents in a car accident several years ago. Until then, Ruoro and his sister had lived in a happy, loving family. But, as orphans, they were forced to separate. Ruoro ended up living on the street, sleeping in ditches and begging for food, unable to locate his sister or any other family members.
Most homeless children in Kenya are murdered before they leave their teens, and the few who survive do so only by brute force. Ruoro, however, found another way. He introduced himself to a friend of mine, who sensed Ruoro’s limitless possibilities. My friend and his wife adopted Ruoro and placed him in the Makena Foundation school. I learned last week that after only two semesters at the school, Ruoro placed 7th out of 500,000 students in a nationwide examination. When praised for his achievement, Ruoro responded, “I owe everything to God.”
Ruoro kept the faith. Do you?