Preface
IN ART, TO give depth to a painting, there must be contrast — such as light against dark. There cannot be just one color, or one intensity. So it is in this biography. I do not want to present everything in one color without contrast, in one dimension without depth; it will present Henrietta C. Mears as a warm, vital, human, challenging spiritual influence, but not with a meaningless, unintelligent flow of adulation. I will present all the criticism of her I can find, for then there will be the contrast and depth of reality.
This book is not written to exalt Henrietta Mears; I respect her too much and take her too seriously to do that, for she is the one who has pointed out over and over again, "Put your confidence in any human being and you will be disappointed. Look to no one save the Lord; keep your eyes upon Christ and no other." So the only purpose of the book is to present Christ and the program of the Holy Spirit as effected through Miss Mears.
I have worked closely with her for fourteen years and I do not write with blind devotion, or unseeing adulation; I write knowingly and I write with respect. I have seen her in harsh moments, tender moments, compassionate moments, and by some interpretations, perhaps, unkind moments. I have seen her in joy and in sadness, triumph and despair. Search the Scriptures and I am sure you will find Christ in those same moments. This will be no whitewashed eulogy. If it is a eulogy it will not be because of anything I have written; it will only be because that is the way she has lived her life.
Thousands call her the most tremendous spiritual influence in their lives, yet her first "spiritual son" shouts, "She ruined my life! She
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gave me such a high standard of spiritual perfection and performance to maintain that my life will be ruined trying to keep up with it. She has trained me so well never to settle for anything less than God's best that it is like a constant burr under the saddle!"
She is a perfectionist, yet the most practical person I have ever known. She is the dreamer of all dreamers, yet the hardest worker of them all. She is a visionary of the broadest scope, yet specific to the tiniest detail. She is esthetic to the greatest degree, yet scientific in every fibre of her being. She is inspirational enough to lift you into the very presence of Christ, yet her discerning discipline can cut through to the very core of self.
I do not know what this book will do for you who read it, but I know already just what the writing of it has done for me: it has transformed my spiritual life.
During the fourteen years that I have known Miss Henrietta Mears, I always thought that I loved her, admired her, and respected her almost more than any other person I have every known. Certainly her personality is more compelling and more powerful than any other I have ever met.
However, as I started working with her, hearing the intimate stories of her life in her own expressive, magnificently moving way, my love for her grew, mounted and made me realize that what I thought was the love I had for her before had dimmed to insignificance. I could not help but wonder why my love for her had grown so much in a few short weeks in comparison to the preceeding fourteen years. I had certainly worked for her, sacrificed for her, and given more than enough of myself for her — of course it was for the Lord but it was under her personal direction — so surely I must have had a great love and admiration for her. Yet why did my love for her increase so quickly?
Then I realized the great truth. For the first time I was in real fellowship with her; we had taken time to talk at great length, deeply, problingly, to commune, to share and to have a personal companionship. For the first time there were just the two of us, alone, uninterrupted, and we could really talk hour upon hour, day after day, week after week. For the first time we weren't working together; we were in fellowship. The barriers of rush, pressure, crisis, crowds were gone and love could grow.
Now that I've seen what happens in the realm of human love, how it
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grows and overflows with fellowship, I want to experience spiritual love, putting fellowship with Christ ahead of service for Christ.
In Miss Mears' ministry, fellowship with Christ has taken precedence over the erection of large buildings and the attraction of thousands of young people to a successful program. She has never stressed program or spiritual activities as the first objective but has always narrowed the Christian relationship down to just the two in the inner circle, you and Christ. Then the Spirit, the enthusiasm, the program, the works will follow as the day follows night. But without this fellowship with Christ and this communion with Him, the works are dead. We must spiritually "fall in love" with the Saviour. Then as we sit at His feet and listen and fellowship with Him, He will tell us what to do, He will tell us where to go, He will tell us when to go.
I have often expressed this idea in my thoughts when I think of Miss Mears. When I come into the presence of this spiritually great lady, I feel a misguided desire to place a cloak before her feet and kneel in respect to the great work she has done in leading others to the Lord and into fellowship with Him. But just as I am taking off the cloak, she points beyond and we both turn and see Jesus, Saviour and Lord, and we kneel together at His feet.
Thank you, Miss Henrietta Mears, from all of us.
BARBARA HUDSON POWERS
