Ben Fielding

Sydney is lazy and is suffering from a mysterious case of writers' block, forcing her to go to desperate measures to entertain her wonderful viewers.

This is an essay I wrote for English. It's just a rough draft, but hey, it's something! The essay was supposed to be a testimony from the point of view of the main character from Safely Home. The book was written by Randy Alcorn, who by the way is an amazing author for Christ. I recommend reading Safely Home and his other stories.

Enjoy!



   “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
    My friend and old roommate, Li Quan, once recited that quote to me. At the time, I didn’t understand its meaning, but now I think I can grasp its significance a little better. The quote, I believe, advises people to zeal for excellence in whatever they may do, whether it be to rule a kingdom, or, well, to sweep streets. If I had known and understood that verse years ago, perhaps I wouldn’t have been so long in coming to the Lord.

    I haven’t always been the best of Christians. In fact, until recently I wasn’t even a believer. My business, and my own self, was always worth more to me than a God I couldn’t see and had no reason to have faith in. However, God was not thwarted by my stubbornness and stupidity. He led me back to Him when He sent me to China.

    I had visited China before; the modern-yet-ancient culture was nothing new to me. Yet, no matter how many times I’d been there, I’d always somehow been blind to the pain, suffering, and tyranny hidden beneath the busy surface. Li Quan, who I believe I mentioned earlier, slowly but surely removed the counterfeit mask China’s government had applied, and revealed to me China’s true colors. There was cruelty and hopelessness around every corner, families destroyed because of their trust in God. To be honest, when I saw what the people there put up with, I felt…insignificant. Weak. Substandard. I felt as if, even if I would be able to overcome my pride and follow the Lord, I’d be useless to Him. I’d never felt worse.

    Then Quan was arrested. I fought ruthlessly for his freedom, desperate to help my faithful friend and prove my worth to someone. It turns out he didn’t need me. He had Someone by his side, caring for him just as He cared for me, even if I didn’t know it. When Quan was in prison, I changed. I evolved into something different, something with Christian potential. And then, one night, at a Bible study, I dedicated my life to Jesus.

    I’ll never regret choosing life over death. It cost me everything I had, but I’ve gained all that matters. I pray that God will see you through a transformation like mine. I hope that one day, we’ll be the world’s greatest street sweepers in His name, and make this planet a better place for it. Thanks for your time, and God bless you all.