A Diary of Innocence: Oh What A Day That Was
Thirteen-year-old Mary Hutchinson, who was seriously disabled, was possessed of wisdom which many do not acquire in a lifetime. She wrote in her diary: "God created me and endowed me with marvelous capabilities. Then I have commenced in the world race. I will call it an obstacle race, and because I was able to surmount the obstacles better than many others who were competing, He handicapped me. Yes! God has handicapped, or otherwise, every one of us according to our capabilities... And at the end of the race of time God expects it to be a 'dead heat'.''
Friday, June 3rd. Yesterday I went to Clarkes’ at 10.30 a.m. Ruth got our dinners packed and filled two thermos flasks with tea. We set off and walked up the lane for a little way. Then we cut across the fields. We were going to a lily pond, but Ruth had forgotten which wood it was in and there are a lot of woods in this part of the country. We went approximately 2½ miles across the fields. Then we went into a wood and had our dinners. We were by then very hungry. It being about 1 p.m.
We rested about an hour. I had my diary and we read the choice bits. In the course of the afternoon we visited five woods. Yet none of them contained our quest -- the lily pond. We had a watch but it kept stopping, and we had to calculate what time it would be and start it again. At last [we found] it, through great labour on Ruth’s part, for she got lost in the wood and had a rough time of it, and I a fretful time wondering what had become of her. We were only a few minutes at the lily pond. We arrived at Clarkes’ at 8.15 p.m.
Today I am good for nothing. But oh what a day that was. How lucky I am to have a friend like Ruth. We talked of our favourite books. Our favourite authors and authoresses, our favourite poets and poetesses, our ideas, hospital days. Oh I shall remember that day when I forget the days that proceeded and followed it. For it was a day among a million days.
But there are two things which stand out among all the rest. One was when we sat together reading choice bits in my diary and discussing them. The other was when in the early part of the day we discussed my future and Ruth said, “Yes, you certainly are handicapped.”
Yes, since I have just considered myself in life like one commencing in a race, and I can see it all now part of the purpose of my life. God created me and endowed me with marvellous capabilities. Then I have commenced in the world race. I will call it an obstacle race, and because I was able to surmount the obstacles better than many others who were competing, He handicapped me. Yes! God has handicapped, or otherwise, every one of us according to our capabilities. And at the end of the race of time God expects it to be ‘dead heat’ with everyone of us, and if we run as well as we can we shall all reach the winning post at the same time. And if we did this we are worthy to live in eternal bliss.
This life is the test race and if we stand the test, Heaven is our reward. Satan tempts us to abandon the race and indulge in pleasure by the wayside and telling us to omit some of the obstacles. But for our honour’s sake and for the sake of Jesus Christ who stands by the winning post cheering us on with promises of Heaven, though it is hidden from our view. And the race is so long and tedious we cannot see the end until we are very, very near it. And when the darkest and largest obstacles present themselves before our view, we sit down in our despair and even doubt the possibility of that winning post with Jesus by it. Oh we must look straight ahead -- even if we cannot see the goal.
But the track of the race is unstraight. Oh very crooked indeed is it, that while surmounting one obstacle we cannot see the next and we run or loiter blindly on. Yet no, not blindly. For we must keep in sight that goal with Jesus by it and the heavenly shore beyond. Oh time and again Satan whispers, “Leave the toilsome track and wander. Have a little pleasure. ‘Tis just as well. Jesus can’t expect you to race forever without rest.” So we wander away from the track and forget that goal and Jesus and listen to Satan. But at the end of a round of pleasure we are more tired than with work. We have a pack, a pack of sin to carry. We are not rested for our work again and we have lost the track. We are even farther away from Jesus and we have gained no obstacles. We are stumbling blocks to other competitors when we should be helping them.
We find Satan will not help us and too late, alas, we perceive our folly. In our grief we call upon Jesus and blame him for our plight, when the fault is ours. But He comes after us and carries our pack and leads us again to the track and even forgives us. Oh good kind Jesus, Thou art never repaid.
The race is a fair one. The same is expected of every one of us. And Jesus bids us come. There He stands, the Lamb of God. We mourn for those we love who reach the tape before us. But that should be great encouragement for us to feed on and meet them in heaven.
The great thing in life is not to win the game but to play a bad hand well.
Ah, Ruth! You and I have got bad hands.
Be it mine to play my bad hand well.
We are not here to play, to dream to drift.
We have hard work to do and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle, face it.
‘Tis God’s gift. Be strong.
