But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame
the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27, NKJV).
After writing a four-book fiction series based on people in various countries who are persecuted for their faith, followed by a three-book series based on human trafficking victims, I am now in the midst of writing a novel built around the life of Harriet Tubman. Researching and writing these books have challenged my faith beyond measure, as well as helping me to re-prioritize my life and my goals.
Harriet Tubman was indeed one of the most amazing women who ever lived. Yet she was penniless and uneducated, a slave with a dozen siblings, none of whom ever had enough to eat or even any say in whether they lived or died. Harriet was beaten more times than she could remember and sustained an injury at the hand of one of her masters that left her with a permanent dent in her forehead, as well as headaches and a strange sleeping sickness that lasted her entire life.
But none of that stopped her. This young slave girl acquired a strong personal relationship with God from her earliest years, cultivating it daily and practicing it under the cruelest of conditions. As a result, she became one of the most courageous and admired women who ever lived.
Harriet Tubman, known as the “Moses of her people,” escaped to freedom as a young adult and then went back into slave territory, where there was a sizeable bounty on her head, nineteen times, successfully rescuing some 300 slaves, including many of her own family members. God used this uneducated woman, who remained penniless most of her life, to do incredible feats that affected countless lives—and He wants to do the same with us.
Does that intimidate you as much as it does me? How can we possibly live a life as powerful and meaningful as this amazing woman? Here is the secret: Harriet Tubman was able to lead a lifetime of great heroism because she cultivated a lifetime of great faith.
Don’t let the enemy intimidate you or tell you you’re ill-equipped to lead a noble, courageous life, inspiring others by your great faith. Remember, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
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Great story material. Such a good closure for the series on current day slavery. Our past is important to us. But Harriet wasn’t alone. She had to make secret friends all along that underground railroad of hers. I think most of them had to be deeply faithful to God as well, don’t you?
I agree with you, my friend. She had a network of courageous people who risked much to help her the captives free.