Amy Carmichael understood true discipleship and lived it out. At a very young age she felt called to the mission field, followed God's guidance, and eventually went to India, where she would spend fifty-three years without furlough. While there, Amy founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, a refuge for children in moral danger- children who were orphaned or unwanted and sold to the temple, Amy became a mother for these children, and so they called her "Amma."
Even today, Amy's life of obedience and courage stands as a model for all Christians everywhere. We resonate with her desires and dreams, her faults and fears, her dedication and service. For former missionary and author Elisabeth Elliot, Amy became a role model. "She was my first spiritual mother," writes Elliot. "She showed me the shape of godliness.
- From the Back of the book
One of my favorite quotes from this book sums up Amy's whole outlook on her calling for Christ; "I would rather burn out than rust out." It reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend a while back, and he was saying that he wants to get to the end of his life, and be completely, 100%, spent for the Lord.
This book was one of those books I've always meant to read, but never actually read, so I ordered it from the library on a whim, and decided to read it in November. (This review has been a long time in the works.) But I am very glad that I did end up reading it, as it was incredibly inspiring and encouraging. I thought I had a pretty good idea of Amy Carmichael's life, (based on a short biography I read about her when I was younger,) but A Chance To Die had so many more details and a lot of her personal writing. She was so selfless, even from a very young age, always putting others needs before her own. She had a vision that she followed all her life, and stuck to it, even when others around her protested, or made things difficult for her. She inspires me personally in the way that she always ran straight to her Savior when in need, or when she was struggling with doubts and fears; Christ was the center of every single thing that she did.
I highly recommend A Chance To Die as an encouraging, uplifting biography of a wonderful, sweet woman who strove to glorify Christ in all that she did!
