Dying Daily

The dark, crowded prison smelled awful.  She had walked for miles carrying a heavy basket loaded with as much food as she could obtain.  She was expecting a child and due any day.  She fought tirelessly throughout the day meeting with and pleading with influential people trying desperately to get her husband free from prison, or at least spared from execution.  When her beloved husband was suddenly transported to a different prison, she carried her baby, following behind through rough ground and an icy creek.  Alone in a new village she continued to care for her husband under even worse conditions than before until finally, he was released.  By that time, the many years of sorrow and hardship had taken their toll on the frail young woman so she lived for a very short time in the happy life after those trials.

Ann Judson was an incredible woman, one whom I deeply admire.  She and her husband, Adoniram Judson, were among the first missionaries to Burma.  Her courage and undying love for both her God and her husband had incredible influence on the lives of many, although she did not get to see the mission work in Burma firmly established, nor did any of her children survive to the age of ten.  Unlike most Christian martyrs, she was never faced directly with the choice of “deny Jesus or we’ll kill you”, rather she had to daily choose to continue to die to self and pour our all she could be into what she believed.

You might be wondering what in the world a young missionary woman has to do with creation science.  It has absolutely everything to do with creation science.  Of course, both she and creationists today strive to serve God and give glory to him, but most significantly, Ann Judson was willing to sacrifice her life daily for her God.  Who are we to stand aside and let evolutionists try to tear glory away from our Blessed Creator, to Whom it rightfully belongs?  We must follow in the steps of the heroes of our faith that came before us, like Ann Judson, and stand up for the truth, even if it means giving up our lives.  Most of us will probably never have to literally die for the creation cause (in America at least), but can live  for it, and choose every day to face the consequences of those sacrifices in our ordinary lives.  Those sacrifices could mean being mocked, scoffed, given a bad grade, rejected, censored,  or even fired.  But, what is any of that in comparison to the daily sacrifices Ann Judson chose to make?  Please, don’t just be willing to die once for what you believe, but be willing to live for it – to die to self every day rather than merely once in a lifetime.