Trailblazers

Throughout history trailblazers have not been held in high esteem until well after their Trail has been well established & time tested.

Take the lightbulb.

Many thought it was useless at best and at worst, something of the demonic realm.

Take the Wright brothers and their desire to hit the skies.

Their father told them they’d go to hell if they created something to assist a human in flying.

Lillian Trasher, Lottie Moon and Gladys Aylward all stymied at various points in mission work because they were women and how could a women go into the mission field without a man?

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The lightbulb. The only thing off putting about it is that now most of us stay up way too late which screws up our circadian rhythm which can make us terrifically unhealthy. Other than that little issue, the lightbulb seems to be a blessing.

The pursuit of flight. This has afforded millions upon millions of us to travel to the ends of the earth- not to mention making it possible to spread the incredible good news of Jesus with extreme ease- even in forbidden countries. Imagine having to travel the 7 seas only to be met with hostility and rage.

Which brings me to....

Lillian, Lottie and Gladys.

The three women who stumbled often because of traditions of men. And know this- when someone is hindered to go do the work of God because of man's pet traditions and ways of doing things, the people folks were hindered to minister to suffer greatly.

Lillian Trasher rescued thousands of Egyptian girls and in the end cared for over 25,000 orphans in her lifetime. Sounds like sister was ahead of her time. Remember Sound of Freedom? Did it move you to be a modern day Lillian? Or are you just complaining about open borders…

Lottie Moon, impatient with societal constraints on women, waged a slow but relentless campaign to give women missionaries the freedom to minister and have an equal voice. Because of this, millions of Chinese women and children heard the gospel and were set free in countless ways. Before the Iranian church took the stage, the church in China was the fastest growing.

Gladys Aylward along with helping to eradicate the barbaric practice of foot binding, took in orphans and adopting several as her own, intervened in a volatile prison riot and advocated prison reform. PS, she was 4'11', just to give you a visual of this powerhouse. Not only that, but during WWII Gladys led 100 orphans over the mountains in China to find refuge after their villages had been destroyed.

You and I have trailblazers around us today that very likely make us feel extremely uncomfortable and ruffle our beautifully packaged ideals.

• Trailblazers are not those who shout loudly on social media, weeping about their own rights and perceived downtrodden-ness. They are not the ones picketing, nor are they those who are clamoring to be heard and have their day in the sun.

• Trailblazers are rarely popular and so gaining a massive amount of followers is unlikely. They go where others dare not think of.

• Trailblazers are resolute in their purpose, they know Whose they are and what they carry from our God & will rarely cease pursuing what they know in their deepest knower what HIS objective is.

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If you’re close to a Trailblazer, they may pull you aside with excitement and joy and wonder in their eyes because they have a burning passion to help, heal or shift the trajectory of man’s idea of what’s best. They are constantly searching the heart of God and running towards Him. Their methods of doing this will be unconventional and may look a bit like anarchy or heresy.

They will very likely make you squirm because what they’re passionate about may not sit well with you.

But if you dial up your discernment and get out of your soul & comfort zone for a sec, and listen with your spirit, you’ll hear it. You’ll hear the passion and wonder in their heart.

You’ll hear the voice of God saying, “behold, I am doing a new thing in and through this one”.

And though it may make you a bit uneasy, sit with it and your trailblazing friend for some time. Perhaps your trailblazer friend is onto something. And just perhaps, their fire will finally ignite you to do something you were indeed, created to do. Consider this--- that trailblazer will undoubtedly shape your future.