CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
Flipping through the channels the other evening I heard the beat of the children heroically ending their
march to safety: “This old man he played one. He played knick-knack on my knee. Knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone. This old man came rolling home.” The 1958 film, The Inn of the Sixth
Happiness, was running on Turner Classics. Ingrid Bergman played Gladys Aylward, an “unqualified”
missionary in China during the China-Japanese war in the 1930’s. The head of missions in London would
not accept her, because she was deemed unsuitable and of low class and uneducated to do the work. The
truth was she was most qualified; she had “love” and the ability to share it. There are many great lessons
to be learned from this classic film. It depicts sacrifice and a deep love to serve God and His people. And
is done very well, although full of inaccuracies and great
liberties under the direction of Mark Robson and the casting
of Bergman, who was tall and Gladys short, and Curt Jurgens
and Robert Donat, westerners casted as easterners. Just
like the great artists of Western Europe gave us enduring
but inaccurate portraits of Jesus and the saints.
There are many scenes and lines that resonate with me.
The children must relocate from wars devastation of their
home to safety. Just as they are about to leave fifty more children appear. All the children are scared,
hungry and cold as they begin what should be a week march. Marching through rocky hills their spirits
are buoyed by singing the nonsense song “knick-knack, paddy-whack”. At the beginning of the movie
Gladys asked, “What is the sixth happiness” and is told “each person must find it in their own heart”.
The visionary missionary sees what can be and the practical soldier seeing what it is during a time of strife
and war. Gladys: “I like China the way it is”. The Captain: “Filthy? Ignorant? Backward?” Gladys: “No,
but if your house is dirty you can clean it”. Gladys will not abandon her work, her mission, her children,
and her new country even during war times. She worked with what she had. She let her acts of kindness
and love do her preaching. She was the embodiment of St. Francis of Assisi words: “Preach always, use
words if necessary”. Gladys’ deeds spoke a thousand words. Gladys expresses what we all are like when
she asked a question directed to a child she took into her ever growing Inn. She said his first word was
“No”. Does it sound familiar? Too many of us answer “No” daily to God’s call to love as He loves.
We have so many opportunities in life, but we select so few opportunities. Fortunately, we have a God
who never tires of asking us. Very few of us answer “yes” and those few inspire us to try. Joyce Rupp
writes in her book, May I Have this Dance? “Then I offer my waiting self to the one who never stopped
believing in me”.
This summer listen to the life-giving invitation to dance with God. God calls the most unlikely, awkward
people to the dance and regardless of their ability He makes them shine. Don’t answer NO.