Read:
Nahum 1:7

If you ask me about my hero, the person I looked up to most, I would tell you about my grandfather, Donald Carlson. Nahum 1:7 was his life verse. Life has a way of putting verses like this to the test. My grandpa’s life was no exception.

My grandpa’s parents died when he was young, thankfully he was adopted into the Carlson family who raised him to know God. As a young man he heard the call to become a missionary. He raised support and got on a boat headed to China with my grandmother, Marguerite. They faithfully served in China and Hong Kong for over 40 years but those years were not without trouble.

One of the many stories told of hard times took place during World War II. They were working in Canton, planting a church when the Japanese invaded. Foreigners, including my grandparents, became prisoners of war. At first, they were kept together as a family, later the men were separated from the women and children. My grandfather was put in a camp for men and my grandmother and uncle stayed behind. He continued to trust God during this time. He would play his favorite hymns on his violin, like “It is Well with My Soul.” Their Chinese friends would take good news to the family that he was okay. He had great reason to fear the future, but he trusted and God faithfully showed his care. They were reunited and repatriated to the US in 1945.

The goodness of God did not guarantee they would be free from trouble. As Jesus told his disciples, “…in this world, there will be trouble…” (John 16:33). These days we do not have to look far to see troubles. It fills our conversations with friends, our news feeds, our world. Jesus doesn’t want us to wallow in these troubles. Instead he says, “I have told you these things so you will have peace… take heart for I have overcome the world!” 

Questions:
What troubles are you facing? Have you given them all to God? Do you know someone that is facing troubles? What can you do to encourage them today?

Kendra Winemiller
Early Childhood Director