Working for the Resistance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia Hall was an ordinary American woman whose selfless and heroic actions --below the radar-- largely altered the course of history.

In the 2019 book A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II, author Sonia Purnell reveals the incredible story of a largely unknown woman who worked as an undercover agent for the United Kingdom’s special operations in Nazi-occupied France. She operated as a spy in a sphere which was an unknown and inconceivable role for a woman at that time. But more than merely gathering intelligence, Virginia was one of the key on-the-ground initiators of the French Resistance, heroically conducting espionage, sabotage, and recruiting thousands of resistance fighters in cities and hidden enclaves in the French countryside to push back against the darkness of the Nazi invaders. 

Insurmountable was not in her vocabulary.  Narrow squeaks were always around the next corner. Her strength was in her audacious spirit, her willingness to live anonymously in harsh conditions, and her ability to encourage those who were overwhelmed, discouraged, and paralyzed by fear of the dark.  And driven by her love for France.  She was certainly not enduring these experiences for her meager salary or fame.

As the first female secret agent who was repeatedly discounted and scoffed by her peers, her disadvantages actually worked to her advantage.  Indeed, described as a “woman of no importance,” ironically created opportunities for her.  Who would expect that this strikingly beautiful woman with a prosthetic leg was a serious contender of subversive activity?  Her daily choices –and personal sacrifices—started a chain reaction of monumental consequences. Living way below the radar and willing to change locations or appearances at a moment’s notice served as a grand disguise to protect her from the Nazi forces, who were determined to eliminate her.  She created intricate networks of underground resistance agents and fighters to undermine the enemy.  She rallied a huge movement of ordinary citizens who collaborated to accomplish the extraordinary, clandestinely aiding the Allies, rescuing pilots who had been shot down, hiding Jewish refugees and helping them to escape.

Through major battles and at the end of the war, French and Allied military officials claimed the glory for the survival of France, but as in most of life, it was those secret workers, the unknown people of the Resistance who turned the tide, those who worked, lived and died sacrificially under the radar to make things happen. Each individual was not just a “necessary” component, but as a vital force that directly impacted millions of lives. 

“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8. 17)  Most of which we will not comprehend until the other side of life.  As in Virginia’s incredible story, there is so much of which we are unaware.

In one sense and in many dimensions, as believers, we are all secret souls that work below the radar for an eternal Kingdom with unexpected love and grace in unlikely places.  We are all strategically positioned in time and place, and divinely appointed to serve God.  Nothing is random at all, but pivots on how we respond.

Even though our actions, words and even attitudes may not appear on the surface as anything heroic, there are no small obediences, nothing that God does not use powerfully.  Am I faithful to Him?  Even in what He has placed before me?

Behind the scenes, Judy and her husband, decades ago, prepared and served the Wednesday evening meal at a small church we were a part of, week after week.  They may or may not have realized the significance of their hard behind-the-scenes work, but as a young mom with three children, three and under, they contributed enormously to my own physical and spiritual well-being.  And multiplied my understanding of grace, what faithfulness looks like in real time, and trusting God for the fruit I will never see.

At the church where I grew up, an older single woman Miss Ruth taught kindergarten Sunday School for so many years, grandchildren of her students were even instructed in God’s Word under her care.  I was never in her class, but I watched this kind and gentle saint greet the children as they came into her classroom.  She did not fill a niche, or find her “calling,” but stood in the gap for the next generation.  And as with Virginia, it was not anything but love that drove her to persevere.

When the adversary whispers, “What you are doing doesn’t matter,” we can know it always does, whether it is recognized or acknowledge or even ignored.

Because serving God is always redeemed in one way or a million.  We are all secret agents of grace.  It is not a matter of hiding, disguising, or avoiding the spotlight.  But being faithful in whatever God places on our hearts or paths.  And pushing back the darkness.  

There is nothing mundane in His Kingdom, and someday all will be revealed.   We don’t have to be acknowledged, or known, for God to get the glory. Just to be faithful to Him in the unexpected, unknown, unlikely, and even in what we may see as ordinary.  Insignificant never appears in God’s vocabulary.

There is nothing irrelevant for His eternal purposes.  Even when we are unaware of it, God is using us to make His invisible Kingdom visible.

    

So also good works are conspicuous,

and even those that are not

            cannot remain hidden.

                     1 Timothy 5. 25

Long live the Queen

 Long live the Queen.

       And indeed, she did.

I am sure that the younger generations are wondering what is the big deal, all of the pomp and parades and honor given to this 96 year old woman. 

With all the craziness of the world, the fighting, chaos, wars (plural), somehow we all knew everything would still work out all right, because there was still the Queen.  Among all the leaders in the past and now in the present, Queen Elizabeth was the sensible one and the voice of grace and reason -- the whisper in the midst of shouting, deception and discord, serious when the situation called for it, and then pulling out a marmalade sandwich out of her purse when she met with royalty like Paddington Bear. The world is hungry for leaders like that.  We'll miss you, Elizabeth.

No matter her high position, she was never one to draw attention to herself.  I always felt like she would rather that queen was not capitalized.  It was not who she was but what she did.  It was her assignment -- her anointing and appointing -- as each of us bear in some dimension.   She was faithful to her assignment.  And wore an appropriate hat -- and attitude-- to every situation.  She brought something different to the table.

As a teenager, she endured the incessant bombing of London -- every night for six full months-- as the world as she knew it teetered on destruction. It appeared that Hitler was going to take over the world.  And then at war's end, at the mere age of 25 when losing her father, she inherited the British Empire.  She was not perfect.  But she was faithful in what was placed before her and even the crown placed on her head.  

As a newly appointed queen, she visited Chicago for the dedication of the Buckingham Fountain.  I was a tiny little girl holding my grandmother's hand in that crowd.  I remember the red carpet rolled out as far as I could see.  Even then, people flocked about her, not because she was so important but she was greatly admired.

She was not some special kind of person.  She was a faithful one.  She approached her responsibilities with grace, and she loved people selflessly. And history called for that a lot.

I often thought that all the pomp was a little embarrassing to her. She loved the Scottish countryside.  She loved dogs and children. She was the queen.  But she was also an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances.  And she stepped to that often-difficult plate.

One of the news commentators last night, standing in the midst of a crowd in Edinburgh, remarked, "You can see with your eyes how much she was loved."  She walked with integrity through many troubled times.  And her gentle smile is what people will remember.

She is about to be written into dusty old history books.

But hopefully not forgotten.

Her life was not her own.  She served well and to the best of her abilities.

May integrity and love like that mark our lives as well.  We do not wear a crown to our job.  But everyday we serve in a Kingdom that will never end.

Do you realize about yourselves

    that Jesus Christ is in you?

                   2 Corinthians 13. 5

 May we all live graciously that way in whatever God places before us with peace and joy and a gentle smile for those on our paths.

 

 

The Urgency of Nudges

One of the things that I love about a dear friend is that his bandwidth extends far beyond his own needs.  As in the original electronic definition of the term, his "frequencies" are not just set on himself but sensitive to the nudges of God, living with a deep capacity to not just listen but respond.

Quite recently, feeling first a slight concern for a friend and then a stronger nudge to reach out, literally saved the life of one of his acquaintances.  The man had been gravely ill and did not realize how much.  And as far as my friend knows, no one else had checked up on him.  My friend knocked on his door in the nick of time.

Not every nudge is a matter of life and death.  Sometimes nudges from God are 911 calls, sometimes to fill a pothole or a gap with a kindness, sometimes just to come alongside, but always with an urging to respond.  God's nudges are never insignificant and remembered far more than we can know.

I cannot remember their names, nor even what they looked like, just that they seemed really old to me at the time.  But many decades ago when I was a struggling intern living in a strange city, an elderly woman sitting behind me in church, tapped me on the shoulder at the end of the service.  She and her husband introduced themselves and invited me and the two women I was with to join them for lunch.  The others accepted immediately.  As I was dependent on my friends for a ride, I was drawn into going as well.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I was in a really tight spot. The other women were joyfully ordering their lunches. Living on a strict shoestring budget, I could not afford to eat here.  I was hungry, but perhaps I could get by with nursing along a cup of coffee.  

And then I felt that tap on my shoulder again.  The old woman whispered into my ear, "This meal is on us.  Please order whatever you would like.  Our pleasure."  Even after all these years, I have never forgotten that kindness.

God nudged her.  She had no idea the significance of responding to Him.  It may have meant nothing to that couple, something in their habit, or just an opportunity suddenly before them in an unlikely place, or maybe even an inconvenience in their day.   But an unexpected kindness has no expiration date.  God nudged that couple, perhaps in the middle of a long-forgotten sermon, "What if you invite those girls to lunch today?"  Their response was yet another way of worshiping God.  There are always excuses not to respond.  But God always multiplies when we do and wraps His faithfulness all around it.

We can never comprehend what takes root or bears fruit.

Or what will be remembered.

                      And multiplies His glory.

In the morning sow your seed,

and at evening withhold not your hand,

for you do not now which will prosper,

                this or that,

or whether both alike will be good.

                   Ecclesiastes 11. 6

Not what I expected

Last week, my husband and I drove down a largely-rutted dirt road to a trailhead where we had not hiked before.  The road was not what I expected, but well, I chose to see it as part of the adventure.  Surprisingly, there were a few other cars and trucks parked at the rather abandoned-looking trailhead that led to a small lake. 

As we began hiking, Bill realized that there were two different routes to this lake, and he had downloaded the other trail in his hiking app.  So we could see where we were, but we could not see where we were going. There was a trail before us, be it not what we intended, ascending to a ridge, and it was a beautiful day for a hike.  We chose to hike on.

After a mile or so of upward trekking, we reached the ridgeline, and a beautiful lake appeared below us.  The trail continued, now steeply descending. I was not at all sure that I wanted to go down this now-rough trail. As we descended, all I could think about was that we were going to have to climb back up.  It was not an easy path, and at parts we had to pick our way through rock slides.

 

A few small snakes skittered across the trail.  And downward we continued, now through a fellowship of shade-giving trees, and then a winding path through large unidentifiable bushes.  The destination continued to be a mystery as the trail was sometimes invisible beyond just a few feet ahead.  I was really unsure about finishing this hike, where we were going, how we were going to get there, if the trail was just going to dead-end, and what we would encounter on the way.  Is this hard trail going anywhere?

The trail leveled off, still surrounded by scrubland, heading now into a deep dark woods.  Within about a quarter of a mile on this now-pine scented trail, an opening appeared, leading to the water's edge.  A young woman was standing there, who had been camping close-by with her brother.  She said nothing at first, but pointed to the beach.  Two shy deer, oblivious to us, were tiptoeing along the strip of sand and gravel.  

As we emerged from the woods, God surprised us with His glory.  Now, I was the speechless one.  It was like coming into the Presence of God.

My fear and trepidation evaporated into thin air.  The trail had been difficult.  But it was not random.  It did not just lead somewhere.  It led to this.  Just because something is hard does not mean we are on the wrong path.

What I thought was ominous turned out to be glorious.  It was not a fairy-tale happy ending but part of the journey right in the middle.  God filled my heart with the strength to keep on keeping on.

It was not what I expected.  It was even better.

The trail was the same, but I was changed.  We still had a steep climb back up, but my heart was overflowing.  I felt like God was saying to me, "Look beyond the rocks."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cannot see what is ahead.  It may be unknown to us, but it is not unknown to God.  God brings His faithfulness to what transcends our imagination and transforms what is before us into a sacred encounter.

Even today. Even in this.

And He whispers, "Do not be afraid.  I am with you."

I saw an afternoon's outing, but God meant it for something much more.

 

And I will lead the blind

    in a way that they do not know,

in paths that they have not known

              I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them

                      into light,

the rough places into level ground.

These are the things I do,

    and I do not forsake them.

                      Isaiah 42. 16