4. A Plan for Life
Chapter 4
A Plan for Life
One hour after parting company with Mamie, Belle found herself sitting on the bed in the small second-floor bedroom of the Whipple house and talking to Julia Whipple.
“Now, what’s this about going to a phrenologist to see what your future holds?” Julia asked gently. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Belle took a deep breath and began. “I thought I would be happy teaching. I always wanted to be a teacher, but the truth is, I find it dreadfully boring. The students run all over me, and I dread going to school each day. My friend Mamie has a phrenologist coming to dinner, and I know it’s Sunday, but I would love to have him read my head and tell me what I’m really suited to do.”
“I see,” Julia replied.
There was a long pause, which Belle felt obliged to fill. “So I was just wondering, do you think there would be a problem with my seeing a phrenologist on a Sunday?”
Julia shook her head. “Belle, dear, I don’t think it really matters so much what day of the week it is. I think the important thing you need to know is that God has a plan for your life. The book of Ephesians tells us that you and I were created for good works in Christ. Now, if that’s true, you would be much better off asking God what His plans are for you rather than consulting someone who will examine the lumps and bumps on your head. Don’t you think so?”
Belle sat back and closed her eyes. In all the hundreds of Sunday school lessons and church sermons she had sat through she could not recall a single reference to God having an individual plan for a person’s life. This was an exciting thought to her. What if God did have something special for her to do?
Tears filled Belle’s eyes as she looked at Julia. “How would I find God’s plan for my life?” she asked.
Julia reached for her Bible. She patted its cover. “I have always found God’s will through His Word—this book,” she said, handing the Bible to Belle.
Impulsively Belle opened the Bible and let her finger fall on some text. She read it aloud: “Keep thee from a false matter.” Belle stared at the words she had just read. Was phrenology a false matter? Was God—the God of the universe—talking to her, warning her to keep away from such things as phrenology and put her life in His hands? It seemed incredible, but somewhere deep inside, Belle believed that was exactly what God was saying to her.
In that instant a lifetime of worrying about her future, of worrying about who she would marry and what she should do for a living, evaporated. She felt freer than she could ever remember. The answer was simple, so simple: God would unfold the way ahead for her. He would lay out the plan for her life, and she would follow it.
At this realization Belle began to let out heavy sobs of relief. She had no need to consult a phrenologist today or any other day. The answers she sought were right there in the Bible.
The rest of her time at the teachers’ conference in Seattle flew by. Yet as Belle attended the remaining conference sessions, she sensed that her life would not revolve around teaching Canadian third graders.
By the time she left the Whipples’ house, Belle was ready and willing to return to Vancouver. Julia tucked a copy of a book called The Growth of a Soul about Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission, into her bag. She also invited Belle to attend the Bible conference being held at The Firs in July. Belle declined the offer, however. She was already enrolled to attend Teachers Summer School in Victoria, and besides, she did not think she would enjoy being around so many enthusiastic, worked-up Christians. To Belle, Christianity was still a very private matter, not something to be dissected and displayed in public.
What Belle did not account for was Julia’s persistence. A month after returning to Vancouver, Belle received a note from Julia. “Isobel, I think it would be so wonderful if you could come to The Firs this summer. I have enclosed $5 for your ferry ticket, and the accommodations would be free, as you would be my invited guest. Won’t you please pray about it and consider coming?” the note read.
Belle sighed. Julia Whipple was not one to give up, and now Belle had a five-dollar bill in hand that obliged her to at least consider the offer to attend the Bible conference at The Firs. However, Belle needed the teaching credits that she would earn from attending summer school and could not afford to drop any of the courses to attend the conference. Still, since she now had five dollars from Julia, she felt that she should see what she could do. At the end of the school year, after she had returned to Victoria to stay with her parents for the summer, Belle decided to go downtown to the office of the registrar of the summer school and ask for ten days off in the middle of her classes. She was certain the registrar would say no. One of her friends had already asked for seven days off, and the registrar had flatly refused the request. But at least, Belle reasoned, she would have tried and could report back to Julia honestly that she could not make it to The Firs.
Things did not work out exactly as Belle had thought they would. When she asked the registrar for time off, he barely looked up from the ledger he was studying. “Ten days?” he said. “You want ten days off to go to Bellingham on a personal matter, Miss Miller? When?”
“In the middle of summer school,” Belle replied.
“Fine,” the registrar agreed. “I will sign off for your time away, and you can still have full credit for your courses. Enjoy yourself. I hope it doesn’t rain the whole time.”
Belle left the registrar’s office in a daze. Had he just given her ten days off? Without losing any credits? It didn’t seem possible! A bolt of excitement overcame Belle. Was this God? Was this part of the plan He had for her life? Suddenly the thought of attending the conference at The Firs energized Belle. Maybe God wanted to use the conference to show her His direction for her life.
As soon as she arrived and saw Julia, Belle knew she had made the right decision to come to The Firs.Belle took a deep breath as the scent of cedar filled her lungs. In a flurry of activity, Belle was introduced to her roommate, Edna Gish, a young woman about five years older than she was. The two would share a wonderful little log cabin nestled away from the main camp. The cabin looked out on Lake Whatcom, the pristine lake that bordered The Firs. As she walked around the seven-acre campground, Belle discovered a new peace. All the tension of her first year of teaching left her in this calming environment.
During the conference, Belle enjoyed getting to know Edna and found her life story inspiring. Edna was Otis Whipple’s sister, and she had married a man named Ellis Gish. Together they had set out for China to serve as missionaries, but then tragedy struck. While vacationing at a local mountain resort, Ellis, an expert swimmer, had inexplicably drowned. This had occurred less than a year ago, and now Edna was at The Firs leading the youth portion of the Bible conference program.
Living in the same cabin as Edna gave Belle plenty of opportunities to watch her and see whether Edna really was able to live a victorious Christian life after the tragic thing that had happened to her. Belle watched as Edna prayed each morning before anyone else was up and read her Bible before retiring at night. Belle could see that Edna was sad at times, but Edna also had a wonderful sense of peace and hope about her that belied the terrible year she had just experienced.
In one of the conference sessions, when Edna asked the gathered young people which of them would be willing to give their whole future to God, even if it meant that hardships lay ahead, Belle found herself raising her hand. After watching Edna closely, Belle had become willing to try to follow her lead.
By the end of the conference, Belle was convinced that God wanted her to be a missionary, and she determined to take some steps in that direction. Whatever form her missionary service would take, she knew that she would need two solid years of study at a Bible college. She would have loved to enroll in Bible school full-time, but she had just finished paying off her student loan and did not have any savings with which to support herself while she studied. For the next year she would content herself with teaching third grade during the day and attending classes two nights a week at the Vancouver Bible College with renewed vigor.
Remembering that her father had dedicated her to missions as a baby, Belle was eager to tell her parents about her new direction. Over dinner one night back at her parents’ house in Victoria, Belle announced, “I have wonderful news! God has called me to the foreign mission field, to China to be exact.”
Belle watched her mother’s face turn red as she spat out her response. “Isobel Miller, you will be a missionary over my dead body!”
Belle recoiled in shock. Had her mother really uttered those words?
“But Mother, surely you don’t mean that?”
“You heard me right,” her mother replied emphatically. “I will not have my only daughter out there traipsing around the world relying on charity. Just think, people passing the hat for my daughter. I could never live with the disgrace of it!”
Belle excused herself from the dinner table, pulled on her coat, and left the house. She walked alone, trying to digest what she had just heard her mother say. It made no sense. After all, her mother had been the president of the Women’s Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church since Belle started elementary school. In fact, Belle’s whole upbringing had revolved around serving others in the name of God. What could possibly be the problem with wanting to serve God as a missionary?
Several days later, when things at home had calmed down some, Belle asked her father about her mother’s response. He shook his head. “Your mother has certain ideas,” he said, “and there is no telling where they come from. But I can tell you this, she is getting more and more worked up about your being a missionary. Every time I try to discuss the idea with her, she bursts into tears or throws a fit. I’m afraid it’s too much for her.” He turned to Belle, his own eyes brimming with tears. “I’m going to have to ask you not to bring up this topic again, Belle. As far as your mother is concerned, you are not going to be a missionary, and I am not willing to stand against her. I just don’t know what it would do to her…” His voice trailed off.
Once again Belle felt totally betrayed, this time by her father. Wasn’t this the man who had knelt by her bed when she lost her faith? The man who had gently encouraged her to seek God? And now he had sided with her mother against missionary service! It stood everything Belle thought she knew about her family on its head. How was she ever going to follow the biblical commandment to honor her father and mother at the same time that she followed through on her commitment to be a missionary?