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Barton W. Stone was born in 1772. In his autobiography he wrote, “My father, John Stone, died when I was very young. I have no recollection of him in life.” He grew up without his father, but he never used his loss as an excuse to rebel or quit. When soldiers returned after the war cussing, drinking, and gambling, he refused to be like them. In spite of an overbearing teacher, he excelled in school. He went on to be baptized and became one of the most influential preachers in his time.
When Moses Lard was twelve his father died of smallpox. His widowed mother lost their home and was unable to provide for six children. When he was seventeen she told him and his brother with tears streaming down her cheeks that they would have to go out and make it on their own. He never saw her again. The only thing she had to give him was a New Testament. At the time Moses could not read or write. Some young men would have become bitter and mean, but not him. He taught himself to write, studied and obeyed the gospel, and became one of the most eloquent authors and preachers of his generation.
J. W. McGarvey’s father died when he was four. His mother later remarried, but his stepfather died when McGarvey was twenty-two. In spite of the afflictions he suffered, he was never resentful toward families with better fortune in life. He is known to this day for his good nature and kindness. McGarvey rose above the disadvantages of life and became one of the most effective writers, teachers, and preachers in the history of the American Restoration.
These stories encourage us but we should not be surprised. The Bible contains many examples of those who rose above the adversity and influence of their early years. Abraham’s father served other gods (Josh. 24:2), but Abraham followed the Lord. Moses was the adopted grandson of a pagan king, but he chose to worship God (Heb. 11:24-26). Hezekiah’s father was an idolater, but Hezekiah feared the Lord (II Kings 16:2-4; 19:1-7). Josiah was eight when his father was murdered, but he became a king who sought God with all of his heart unlike any king before or after him (II Kings 22-23). Daniel was taken from his home when he was a young man and made a eunuch, but he had “an excellent spirit” (Dan. 6:3). Joseph was taken from the father he loved when he was seventeen, but who can think of a better young man (Gen. 37-50)?
We don’t choose many of the circumstances of life, but we decide what we do with them. God gives to every man a will. This is why there is hope for young people in bad homes or with no parents or home at all. They are created in the image of God. They have a conscience. They can know that God is and they can find Him if they choose in spite of conditions which might seem to make that choice impossible. David said, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up” (Psa. 27:10). Ezekiel speaks of a young man “that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like”(Ezek. 18:14). Let us remember these examples of overcoming affliction, pray for the Lord’s mercy, and patiently do what we can to help those in adversity.
Kerry Duke
West End church of Christ
Livingston, TN