(Essay) The wisdom that we learn from Uncle Tom's Cabin

I remembered one thing, reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When I was a university student, I had asked what I was wondering to my Christian friend. At that time, I was an unbeliever. "Why did Jesus not fight against Rome?" 

I thought that Jesus, as a Jewish leader, should have dedicated himself to the liberation of his country.

His answer was: If the world were turned upside down by force, there would still be another ruler who suppressed the people.

He added that Jesus came to the earth to break such a vicious circle. What Jesus wanted to transform was not politics but humankind.

There is a similar debate over Uncle Tom.

From the perspective of today's human rights activists, Uncle Tom was an easy-going slave who was just obedient to his master.

But we need to realize that Tom's character, looking weak, has rather become a spark that burned the flames of the Civil War.

A greeting from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Stowe, the author, tells the truth. "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

Tom forgave his evil master, Simon Legree, even as he was beaten to death. It reminds readers of the image of the deacon Stephen(Acts 7:60), who followed the forgiveness of Jesus on the Cross. 

We Christians are concerned about how to change our history. Reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I saw that Tom's obedience, patience, and forgiveness destroyed the stronghold of slavery.

I would like to remind ourselves of the lessons learned from Uncle Tom's Cabin in a situation where human rights are still being unfairly violated. 

(Essay) Are we waiting for Samuel Beckett's Godot or God's grace?

When will the COVID 19 spread come to an end? Even if NZ is in a better situation,  there are still heaps of outbreaks of coronavirus worldwide.

It looks like only when the whole world is free from the pandemic simultaneously, each country can say it's okay.

A few months ago, I read an article in the Washington Post, where the editor said we all became Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.

I agree with him. The two characters of the play were waiting for Godot to the end. However, they had no idea who Godot was and when he would arrive.

It's just like us now. We are waiting for something in the pandemic. But what is it? Is it a cure or a vaccine or a collective immunity? What is Godot we are waiting for, and when will it arrive? 

I remember the ending of The Plague by Albert Camus. The epidemic was gone on its own in nine months since the first outbreak.

The pestilence was a new kind, like the current new coronavirus. Updated medicine was urgently needed for treatment.

The new serum had been dramatically developed through many failures of the clinical trial. But the novel doesn't say the remedy was the decisive factor that ended the plague.

People in the story anticipated the plague would withdraw as it got cold, but that didn't happen. The epidemic was still going on, despite the first winter cold coming in December.

By the way, the strong plague suddenly weakened in January. Patients began being recovered, and alive rats were moving around the city.

The government announced officially that the plague had been eliminated as of the 25th of January.

The novel doesn't let readers know the exact reason for the elimination of the plague. It remains mysterious.

But we Christians confess there was the grace of God behind the salvation from the misery.

The grace of God is like sunlight for both the evil and the good. (Matthew 5:45) But we respond differently. Christians will praise God, but non-Christians will honor their luck or effort or principles of nature.

We are going through tough times. Under the pandemic, we feel like all humankind is kneeling before the coronavirus. 

What shall we wait? The Meaningless Godot? Or God's grace, that is, Jesus who saved us?

(Book Review) "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

1. Introduction

'The Secret Garden' was published in 1909 by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a British-American novelist.

The novel has a touching story that dying lives revive. The restoration of life! When and how can we experience the heart-pounding moment?

2. Summary

Mary Lennox, a ten-year-old girl, was born and raised in India. Her parents had died of the epidemic Cholera.

After that, she came to Misselthwaite Manor, her uncle Mr. Craven's place in Yorkshire, England.

Mary had been not well and a spoilt child. Anyone had never liked her at all in India. 

 

In Misselthwaite, she got associated with a maidservant Martha, an old gardener Ben and a red-breasted robin. The f8nellowship got her better in body and mind.

This manor had a secret garden, where nobody had been allowed to enter in the past decade.

 

It used to be Mrs. Craven's garden. She was sitting on a tree branch when it broke, and she fell. She was so severely hurt that she finally died. 

Mr. Craven had closed the garden since she died. He wouldn't let anyone talk about the garden.

One day, Mary happened to find a key to the secret garden, thanks to a robin.

 

She got into it and began looking after the desolate land. Dickon, the brother of maidservant Martha, helped her.

Mary heard the faint sound of a child crying at night. She asked the servants about it, but no one would tell her.

 

The child was Colin, Mr. Craven's son. He grew up hearing that he would die before reaching adulthood due to his weak back. He was always sitting in his wheelchair.

But a famous doctor had been to see the son, and he said Colin would be OK. Nevertheless, the poor child was scared of his dark destiny.

One night, Mary, following the cry, met up Colin. She took him to the secret garden that she was cultivating. Colin first experienced the joy of planting life there.

 

He became healthy, and he could walk on his own without a wheelchair, not long after. Colin called it magic.

When Mr. Craven returned home, he was surprised to see his son, who had changed completely. Colin told his dad that he would never rely on a wheelchair again.

With all the servants watching, Mr. Craven walked home across the lawn with Colin, a strong and upright as any boy in Yorkshire.

3. Lessons

(1) Revival of Life

The Misselthwaite Manor that became  Mary's new home used to be a place of darkness, where life had been gone for a long time.

 

The life of the house came back when Mary opened the door of the secret garden.

The writer reveals the restoration of life one by one.

First, the life of Mary, who everyone hated in India, then the life of Colin, who was forgotten by all, and last, the life of Mr. Craven, who wandered alone after his wife died.

This story reminds us of the recovery of life that we see in Ezekiel 47 of the Bible.

 

The water flowing out of the temple rose to the ankle, knee, waist of the person, and finally became a river enough to swim and cross.

 

Wherever the water flowed and touched, the work of restoring life took place.

Therefore, when we meet our neighbors who are losing their light of life, we can find words to encourage them through this novel.

" If you have a secret garden in your life, open it first."

(2) The Life of Helping Neighbors

We see people who are killing or harming others for their benefit. They insist that in a competitive society, they can survive only in that way.

 

The path may bring them money or power right now, but it will end up ruining their future eventually.

Proverbs 14:12 leads us to that lesson. "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death." (NIV)
 
If so, what should we do to help ourselves? Unlike the worldly view, the Bible teaches that helping neighbors is the way of helping myself. 

Jesus says, "Love your neighbor as yourself."(Mark 12:31) But that's not the end. Furthermore, the Lord says, "love your enemies." (Matthew 5:44)

Proverbs 25:21 has the same lesson. "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink."

When doing this, the promise of verse 22 will bless us. “The Lord will reward you.”                             

 

(Book Review) "The Stars" by Alphonse Daudet

1. Summary

'The Stars' was published in 1868 by Alphonse Daudet. When reading this short story, I thought holy and pure were like both sides of a coin. 

Here's the summary.

I, as a shepherd, am alone for weeks in the mountains to feed sheep. I yearn towards the daughter of my master, my lady Stephanette.

One day there is no one else to deliver two weeks' provisions to me, so Lady Stephanette comes to me herself with the essentials on the mule.

With all done, Stephanette goes down the mountain but comes back up because she has found a stream flooded by the rain.

I have the lady Stephanette inside the place, and I stay outside to keep her safe. She comes out as she can't sleep. God is my witness. No wicked thought arises in me, despite the fire of love that burns in my blood.

To the young lady who is afraid of the night in the mountains, I tell the story of stars in the sky. Stephanette, who's been listening, falls asleep with her head on my shoulder.

I imagine one of the stars, the finest and the most brilliant, loses her way and lies on my shoulder to sleep.

2. Lessons

This story gives us the feeling of a poem or love song. It is not offensive or sensational but lyrical, like a melody of pure love.

Even as Christians, our character still has too many marks of sin. We learn from 'The Stars' that holiness the Bible says is synonymous with purity, which has washed away the stains of sin.

It would be nice if we can always look at the purity of our souls that the stars in this novel symbolize. Then the lyric poetry of 'The Stars' will be engraved in our souls.

Psalm 19:1 sings, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

The stars contain the glory of God. So when we see them, we cannot help but praise God's superiority and splendor.

In this novel, the shepherd thinks that the most beautiful and shining star among countless stars is Stephanette.

There is no doubt about it. The Bible says that when God created all things and finally made a man, the creation was not just good, but "very good."(Genesis 1:31)

The true Christian, whose image of God has been restored, must be the most beautiful and shining star like Stephanette among all the stars in the sky.

Years ago, I tried street evangelism on every weekend. I reached out to many people with the gospel, but I was often rejected and turned away. When I encountered Christians in the street sometimes, I couldn't be happier and more grateful.

Looking at many passers-by, I  thought that the Christians would be like shining stars like jewels in the spiritually dark world in God's sight.