Words are powerful.
Actions are powerful.
And then there are the times that a person speaks and acts … and his life changes another person in unimaginable ways, for years to come.
Earlier this week, Ann Voskamp shared the story of Maximilian Kolbe, who sacrificed his life in Auschwitz for another prisoner. And yes, reading his story was profound. But what stayed with me were the words he’d written to his mother just days before:
“Dear Mama, I am in the camp of Auschwitz. Everything is well in my regard. Be tranquil about me and about my health, because the good God is everywhere and provides for everything with love.’”
A man is in Auschwitz, a death camp … and is able to say Everything is well in my regard?
That, my friends, is faith that transcends circumstances. That is a man who trusted in God, in God’s goodness, in God’s love, no matter what. Maximilian Kolbe believed that nothing could separate him from the love of God — not even Auschwitz.
The last few days I’ve dealt with some difficult circumstances. No, nothing like Maximiliam Kolbe faced. But I often remind myself and others that it’s never a comparison game when it comes to troubles. And I’ve repeated these words to myself:
Be tranquil … the good God is everywyhere and provides for everything with love.
In Your Words: How has God provided for you in a difficult time? How has he revealed his love for you?
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Comments 9
Fr. Kolbe’s story has always moved me (and did you know that the man whose place he took died only a few years ago?).
I would love to have a faith like that, but I don’t. I think God is out there, somewhere…but at times I wonder where.
And yet, what’s needed – both materially and spiritually – for me to get from one day to the next has always seemed to arrive. No more than that, but enough.
Author
What’s needed for each day arrives … kind of like manna, right Andrew?
Exactly.
When I read that blogpost earlier this week, I was wiping away tears. Maximilian Kolbe’s perspective is one I aspire to, but I’m not there. Yet.
And yet, God’s revealed His love to me in so many ways. Through His word (was reading Ps 119:33-64 today and it spoke to my heart), through friends, and through ways He provides and brings me through difficult times. When I look back on health situations, on relationships, I can see how His fingerprints have imprinted His love on my life. Though I don’t always see it in the moment. 🙂
Great post today my friend!
Author
I tried to read the Ann’s post out loud to my husband. When I got to Kolbe’s letter to his mother … yeah, I couldn’t read that out loud without breaking down.
I’ve read of this man before and am amazed at his legacy. Some people show us how to live by how they did and what they die for, of course, Jesus most of all.
This good man’s deed also is awe-inspiring no matter how often it is heard.
Author
Yes, Dee, Kolbe’s life is truly a reflection of Christ’s.
To die well. Not something we like to spend a lot of time thinking about. I have found that when faced with a an unbearable event, God wraps me in His bubble of peace as he holds me in the palm of his hand.
Author
So, true, Pat. So true.