In an earlier post, we introduced you to the excellent book series titled “Christian Heroes: Then & Now” produced by YWAM publishing. In a recent YWAM catalog, the story is told of how these books are now impacting the lives of inmates across the nation. To date, these books have reached 550 prisons throughout the United States and God is using them to touch hearts and lives. To learn more about this, you can visit: Books With A Mission.

We have recently been touched by yet another story of a life well lived. “Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Touching Hearts” was an inspiring and challenging chronicle of a life devoted to practically showing God’s love to the people of India.

After nearly 60 years of service and approaching her 90^th birthday, Ida finished her race here on earth. An Indian man spoke at Ida’s funeral; he was the General Superintendent of the hospital that she had founded. He said this of Ida:

“Only those who can see the invisible, can achieve the impossible. Dr. Ida Scudder has achieved the impossible through her close touch with the invisible God, through her faith.”

A week ago, the name “Ida Scudder” meant close to nothing to me. But now, as I have learned of the impact that this one life had as she was yielded to Christ, living to love, sacrifice, spend and be spent, I am reminded of what God might do through the obedience of one of His children and the impact that He wants to have through our lives. What Ida would have missed, and what the people of India would have missed, had she not given attention to what God was calling her to is staggering! We may never know how far reaching our obedience to Christ is in this life and in eternity.

God’s heart is for people and He chooses to use us to bring His light and life and love to those who do not yet know. The impossible is possible with our God who has no limits. “Unlikeliness” has nothing to do with anything when it’s God’s work done God’s way. Ida saw the invisible and achieved the impossible and the unlikely, because she walked with God…the same God that we too can walk with. Who knows what He might do in our day, if we live not for ourselves, but for Christ who died for us and rose again. Each of us have the opportunity to impact this world with the love of Christ. May this be our hearts’ prayer:

“…to love as You loved, and live as You lived, to never give up on giving You my life.”

(Song “Show Me What It Means” by Meredith Andrews)

Our family enjoyed listening to Ida’s story in the evenings using the audio version, which is identical in content to the book. If you want to be encouraged and inspired by this story, you can find the audiobook as well as the paperback book from the publisher, or you can find the paperback book on Amazon.

-Bekah

Photos by: Matt Enterline