Five Feet Tall

Gladys Aylward was less than five feet tall with black hair. You may or may not have heard of her. I had never heard of her until I was reading and her name came up. I looked to see who this woman was and am glad I did. Gladys was born near London in 1902 to a working class family and as a young girl entered domestic service. After becoming a Christian at a revival meeting and responding to the speaker's urge to dedicate herself to God, Gladys felt she was called to go to China as a missionary. "As Gladys was growing up, she had two great sorrows. First, as her friends kept getting taller she stopped growing. Secondly, as her friends grew beautiful blonde curly hair, hers was straight black. Then she went to China. As she looked over the people to whom God had sent her, she said to herself, 'These people have hair as black and straight as mine...and they stopped growing when I did.' She bowed her head and said, 'Lord God, you know what you are doing!" Yes, He does. She worked and saved her money, for no one was willing to help her get to China. Gladys learned of an older woman missionary named Jeannie Lawson who needed a younger woman to assist her in her work in China. Gladys couldn't afford ship passage, but she did have enough for train fare - across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and into China. In October, 1930 Gladys left London with her few possessions, and arrived at Vladivostok where she then traveled by ship to Japan, then on to China, where she rode a mule to the community of Yangchen, south of Beijing to join Mrs. Lawson. Gladys Aylward had been equipped by God with everything she needed to carry out His plan for her life. And so have you.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. What would you think of getting something new and finding out later that the manufactory had left out some very important parts and because of that what you had would not work properly? I don't think you would be happy at all about that. When God made us He put in each and every one of us the parts that would make each of us do what He has created us for. We are not all the same! Everything you and I need for carrying out God's mission we have. And what you don't have, you don't need! That's what Moses argued with God about that he wasn't qualified to go to Pharaoh and rescue God's people.

Exodus 3:11
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
You might have said the same thing. I'm not wise enough….I am not educated enough and on and on you might go; but Gladys was so sure that God wanted her in China that she paid her way. The problems she had were many and even at one point she discovered a Japanese circular offering a reward for her capture or death. So with a 100 orphans she ran for her life and God opened up doors for her and the children and kept them safe. She was an amazing woman who depended on her God; so amazing was she that Hollywood based a major movie on her life, "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness." I have heard too many in their later years say "don't know why God keeps me around I guess He has something for me to do." I feel like telling them "my friend when the bus stopped for you, you didn't get on." I see that there is so much to get done in what God has called me to do I'll never get finished before He calls me home, therefore I pray that God will send those with a like heart so that I may train them for the days after I'm gone. Quit saying I can't or I don't have enough whatever and get busy with what God has called you to do for time is running out my friend.