With dancing feet, but heavy heart, a young immigrant from Jugoslavia entertained the pleasure mad crowds in Hollywood, California. Coming to America, when quite a youth, after a childhood of hardships and loneliness, years were passed in seeking satisfaction in a round of gaiety but—in vain. He was told by someone, who noticed his look of weariness, that to be happy himself, he must spend his time in giving happiness to others, and this led him to the stage, where—after much training and instruction, he became a professional dancer and plunged into a round of gambling and other questionable pursuits, only to find the truth of the words of Solomon,
"All is vanity and vexation of spirit." Eccles, 1:14.
He has danced before Hollywood notaries for the last time, never more will he pay—as he did repeatedly, seven dollars for a single lesson to improve his art.
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform"—wrote Cowper, and never was it more in evidence than in this case!
A motion picture star, with whom he worked, seeing the young fellow's dissatisfied air, amid their daily round of pleasure producing gave him a Bible which she had procured. It was at once diligently read, and memory went back to childhood days, and an old grandmother in Yugoslavia secretly reading a Bible which had fallen into her hands. She taught him it was a good book, and ought to be heeded.
As he read, day after day, groping in the spiritual darkness, for light, he one day saw in a paper an announcement of evening Bible classes. He at once enrolled, but somehow was never questioned—as is usual—as to his spiritual condition, and when on his first evening he was found in the class room, no one knew or guessed the anguish of his soul. There he heard for the first time in his life, the sweet gospel story and it wonderfully soothed his troubled spirit. It was the dawning of a new day for the Hollywood dancer, though the sun had not yet risen in his horizon; and back he went to his dancing—and the Book, while continuing his attendance at the night classes.
A few weeks after, a very ordinary event was announced, which, however, proved a great one in
A. D.'s soul's history. It was just a meal to be served to the students at the dinner hour to which all were invited. The dancer was there, and as he saw all the day-students file in with happy faces, young men, hearty, clean, free and strong, and young women who seemed so totally different in spirit and appearance to all he had met before, he was deeply interested.
Then, as they quietly stood, someone started a hymn in which all joined:
"What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in Prayer"
The arrow had found its mark, the young Hollywood entertainer, covered his face with his hands and silently and earnestly prayed:
"O! my God, help me to find that Friend."
Has He ever refused to hear a contrite cry? Never. That night, without disclosing his anguish of soul, he promised a young man to attend some evangelistic meetings in a church in Hollywood. Several times he was found there and finally, the young fellow-student, with Bible in hand, led him to the Savior!
His joy in believing was over-abounding, he had danced to a Hollywood audience for the last time, henceforth his feet must tread the paths of wisdom, paths of happiness—says Solomon,
"Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace." Proverbs 3:17.
After a few years of waiting, with the question of Saul constantly upon his lips
"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do," he heard the answer; and though he had vowed never to leave his adopted country (having become a citizen of the U.S.A.), the answer seemed too plain to question,
"Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee" (Mark 5:19) that, he left for his native land, to labor in the harvest field of Yugoslavia, telling of the grace, mighty to save, which has meant everything to him!
To you—dear reader, "Is the word of this Salvation sent." Perhaps, you too have tried the world, to find, like this young man, how unsatisfying is its pleasures. Will you not today turn to that blessed Savior who said:
"Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28.
"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:27.
Will You Come Today?