Lilias Trotter

I was excited to find out about this new biography of Lilias Trotter. (There is a shorter biography by Patricia St John called Until The Day Breaks.) Lilias Trotter was brought up in a wealthy family in London and was on the road to becoming a well-known artist under the patronage of John Ruskin when she decided to give that up and serve God in Algeria. I am also interested to find out about all the work she did in London with the poor and destitute before she left for Africa which is less well known.

(An explanation: Parables of the Cross is a book written by Lilias Trotter using things from nature to explain truths from the cross. Rockness quotes from this book throughout the biography.)

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Take the very hardest thing in your life—the place of difficulty, outward or inward, and expect God to triumph gloriously in that very spot. Just there He can bring your soul into blossom. 

'Parables of the Cross'

And so the Spring-time expands, till it passes once more into the shadow of Calvary. For the blessedness of receiving is not all God has for us: a new world lies beyond—a world of giving: a giving first to God in surrender, then to man in sacrifice. 

'Parables of the Cross'

Rockness:

This was undoubtedly a “Spring-time” of the soul for Lilias. Hungry for nourishment that would draw her closer to her heavenly Father and His purposes for her, she tasted freely from the rich sources provided. At the core of these teachings, however, was the conviction that the Father’s gifts were never intended to be ends in themselves, provided solely for personal growth or enjoyment. Rather, such provisions were meant to prepare the Christian for her true vocation: a life of service to others, in the name of Christ. As Lilias said in 'Parables of the Cross': 

We ourselves are “saved to save”—we are made to give—to let everything go if only we may have more to give. The pebble takes in the rays of light that fall on it, but the diamond flashes them out again: every little facet is means, not simply of drinking more in, but of giving more out.

A flower that stops short of its flowering misses its purpose. We were created for more than our own spiritual development; reproduction, not mere development, is the goal of matured being—reproduction in the lives of others. 

'Parables of the Cross'

The true, ideal flower is the one that uses its gifts as means to an end; the brightness and sweetness are not for its own glory; they are but to attract the bees and butterflies that will fertilize and make it fruitful. All may go when the work is done—”it is more blessed to give than to receive.” 
'Parables of the Cross'

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I love it when you read something you've been thinking about but couldn't have expressed half as well. There's such an emphasis on the individual and personal fulfillment. We have found ourselves being questioned on whether we are giving our children the avenues to flourish in their gifts or are we depriving them? We're always happy to be questioned about things like this, but it can be that these questions come from a false starting point. God has given our children gifts to be used  to serve others and for his glory ultimately, not "solely for personal growth or enjoyment". Coming from this perspective is a much more helpful way to look at the bigger picture of our reason for being rather than just from a more individual viewpoint.