Some time ago, I
watched a programme about Auschwitz and the story of a man who had been a
prisoner there. I think it was featured
on Songs of Praise. It was the story of
an English man, now very elderly, who had been held in the POW part of Auschwitz. He had seen and heard all the terrible things
which had been done to the Jews by the Nazis.
When the Russian and American troops came in 1945, he had been released by
walking 700 kms to meet them. When he
got home to England, he had become very depressed by the horror of his
experience. He spent his time walking
through the English countryside.
One
day, as he sat on the shore of a lake, he watched a pair of swans. The male swan came up to him and put it’s
beak on his shoulder, very near to his face.
He was wary because he thought that if he moved away, the swan would
peck him, so he stayed there keeping very still. After a little while, he began to feel a great peace come over
him; he felt the presence of God descend
upon him. He looked at the 2 beautiful
swans and thought that if there were lovely creatures like this still in the
world, what business had he to be so depressed. He said it was as though the swan understood
what he’d been through. He felt the
great burden of sorrow fall away. It was
a very moving story. He was a man of faith
and had been sustained through his ordeal by reading the Bible 2½ times over.
His name was Arthur Dodds.
Thank you God
for your gifts of beauty, resilience, courage, healing and faith.
“…… Look! God’s
dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying
or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
It is done. I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give
water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit
all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Rev 21:3b to 4
No comments:
Post a Comment