Betty Scott Stam

I first heard the following poem when I was a freshman in college (go USC!). I was at a retreat and the speaker quoted this woman I had never heard of, Betty Scott Stam. I love what she says and I actually taped it to the inside of my Bible:

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes,
All my own desires and hopes,
And accept Your will for my life.
I give myself, my life, my all
Utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.
Use me as Thou wilt.
Send me where Thou wilt.
Work out Thy whole will in my life,
At any cost, now and forever."

That poem has always struck a chord with me, because Betty was just so ready to be used by God at any time and in any place, and she only wrote this when she was 18!! Her faith led her to China to be a missionary where she met her husband John Stam. They lived there for a year and had a little girl before being martyred. I have read some more of her writings and even when she was 10 years old, she wrote beautiful poems like this:

"I cannot live like Jesus, example though He be, for He was strong and selfless, and I am tied to me. I cannot live like Jesus, my soul is never free. My will is strong and stubborn; my love is weak and wee. But I have asked Jesus to live His life in me.

I cannot look like Jesus. More beautiful is He in soul and eye and stature than sunrise on the sea. Behold His warm, His intangible, His dear humanity. Behold His white perfection of purest deity. Yet Jesus Christ has promised that like Him we shall be."

Woah!! from a 10 year old!! Can you believe that?!?! It still gives me chills to know she was so intimate with God and had such a gift for words at an early age. Her words inspire and challenge me and I hope I can live out her first poem I quoted here.




And on a completely different note, here is a cartoon that I found and think is hilarious. I'm thinking this guy may be my new favorite cartoonist :)