Do Your Actions Speak?
Actions speak louder than words.
Many years ago, a weak man stood at the podium to speak to an assembly of students and faculty at Glasgow University in Scotland. The audience was large because his fame as an explorer preceded him. He had gone where no white man had gone before: the interior of Africa. And he had stories to tell.
His body was weakened by bouts of malaria and other tropical diseases he had suffered in his long journeys. His left arm hung useless at his side, mangled by a lion attack.
Nobody questioned his love for Africa. His commitment was seen in the scars from his trailblazing travels. One author wrote of him: “He certainly had Africa engraved in his very flesh.”
His name was David Livingstone.
He gave his life to the people of that great continent. He fought slavery, preached the gospel, treated diseases, established mission stations, and opened up new routes for travel.
He also endured many losses. His wife died during one of the trips through the bush country. His son died fighting for the North during the American Civil War. His goods and medicines were stolen. He was abandoned by his traveling companions on occasion. His mental health was affected. He once lost contact with the outside world for several years.
After more than 30 years of sacrificial service, he was found dead in a kneeling position by his bedside. He literally died praying for the people he loved! His African friends embarked on a difficult nine-month trek, carrying his body to the coast where the casket was transported to England by ship and buried at Westminster Abbey. But before they carried him so far they removed his heart and buried it at a spot in what is now northern Zambia. By this act they honored the depth of his commitment to them. He truly left his heart in Africa.
Not many of us are called to such faraway adventures. But we should each have a mission to bless others in some special way. Can they see it by our actions? Let’s take a lesson from the great missionary.