Our Daily Bread: This Far By FaithExemplo

Holding Up the Light

Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist who worked extremely hard in the South during the sixties and seventies, registering Negro voters. On one occasion, after a demonstration, she and several others were jailed and brutally beaten in the course of their civil rights efforts. Her jailer’s wife felt sorry for her and secretly attended to her injuries. Fannie took the opportunity to ask the woman about her relationship with the Lord, and gave her two scriptures to read. 

Fannie understood like the apostle Paul when facing opposition—this is not about me. They quickly turned their situations into an occasion to further the cause of Christ. In more than one incident Paul was beaten and imprisoned and in the midst of it all he began to witness to his captors about Christ. He resolved: 

“I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel. . . . for Christ . . . and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear” (Philippians 1:12–14, NRSV).

I confess. When I’m hurting, my first thought is not, how can I use this experience to further the cause of Christ. Especially if the situation I’m facing is unfair or unjust. Fannie’s life challenges me.  -Victoria McAfee

God offers opportunities and strength to overcome negative reactions and imperfect conditions.