From the point of view of the history of nations, something very small had happened here. ~Philip Hallie
In a world where success is measured in numbers, where GO BIG, OR GO HOME! is the cheer, the truth may escape us:
Christ is found in the small choices and seldom-noticed courage of those who believe he meant what he said.
Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed, one of the 15 books that found me, is Philip Hallie’s gripping story of Le Chambon, a small village in the south of France, and “how goodness happened there.”
Few history books record the tale. During the German Occupation more than 3,500 French Jews, many of them children, were rescued by those living in this isolated village. For years, a little train delivered a stream of refugees right under the noses of the Nazis.
Hidden away in farmhouses, some were escorted over dangerous mountains into Switzerland. The high-plateau town, despite openly flouting Vichy orders, emerged from the war unscathed. A miracle.
But, just as compelling as what happened there, is why it did.
The Power of Small
Over the door of the Protestant church in Le Chambon are the words of Jesus, Love One Another. Pastor André Trocmé, later named the “soul” of Le Chambon, had the audacity to believe that Jesus really meant it when he taught us,
- human life is precious–we must not harm,
- love transcends categories–people are people,
- we must not become the very thing we oppose.
In the late 1930’s, as the shadow of evil grew over Europe, Pastor Trocmé preached from the gospels of Jesus. He urged his community to search out little ways, small acts of goodness to undermine the forces of destruction now unleashed in their own country– but without doing evil themselves.
When the first frightened, half-frozen Jews knocked on their doors, his parishioners were ready.
Many years later, when interviewers asked Why? of the villagers, the inevitable response was a shrug. “Things had to be done, that’s all, and we happened to be there to do them. You must understand that it was the most natural thing in the world to help these people.”
Does “goodness happen” here?
Jesus claimed that mountains are shifted by mustard-seed-sized faith. I wonder if mountains seldom move around me because I don’t really believe he meant what he said.
What about you? How ready are you for the ones Christ will send your way?
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10 replies on “The Power of Small: Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon”
I loved this.
Being ready or thinking we are ready may be two different things. The person who God chose to present His Good News to me was utterly shocked when I
believed . He was a Dutch survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. Emotionally wounded, his soul was in tact.
A great point, Mary! The Le Chambon villagers were astounded by the attention they received after–“wouldn’t anyone do what we did?”
Whoa! That is a story that I will definitely be researching! And the audacity for someone to believe that Jesus meant what He said! (Sarcasm inserted for effect.) I often wonder what mountains have been left in their places in my own life because of my inability to see the simple truth. Jesus meant what He said. Simple but often not easy.
Thank you Janet for another thought provoking post.
Rebecca, you would love the book!
Gracious God, Lord of minutiae and forgotten little ones, let those in positions of power hear these humble words and seek conciliation over conquest, healing over helicopters, balm over bombs and love over everything else.
To the glory of the God who sees…
Amen and Amen.
Beautifully written and permanently etched on my heart. This story reminds me of two of my father’s sayings:
“The only thing necessary for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.” and
“Do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do in God’s eyes, not because of the accolades that will follow.”
Thank you for provoking me to seek out what I MUST do today.
Judi, I wish I had met your wise father. I see his wisdom in you!
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Janet, I love this story….I often refer to the ripple effect and how one small kindness can change an entire group, town or country.
Thanks for sharing!