In the early 1800s, a number of farmers and merchants who thought slavery was unjust banded together to form a secret escape route for runaway slaves. This escape route became known as the Underground Railroad, not because trains were involved, but because slaves traveling by foot could find food, shelter and guidance at stations spread out along the way. The most traveled branch of the Underground Railroad began in the Tidelands of Maryland and wound north to Delaware, then on to Philadelphia, Boston, and eventually Ontario, Canada. One of the stops along this route was at a large, substantial, red brick house in Wilmington, Delaware, that belonged to a man named Garrett. Historians relate that nearly 3000 slaves were helped by Mr. Garrett on their journeys to freedom.
Perhaps the most famous conductor, or guide, on the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman. Harriet, an escaped slave herself, wanted other slaves to know the precious freedom she had found. Even though it was very dangerous, she traveled back into the South to guide many slaves along the Underground Railroad.
The journey north to freedom was full of dangers and difficulties. Mostly the slaves would travel by night and rest by day. Once they began their journey, the courage of the runaways might falter at any time. Harriet Tubman knew she had to find ways to bolster their courage to keep them from turning back. In a low voice, as they traveled she would tell them as many things as she could think of to encourage them. One of those things was that just across the Maryland border in Delaware they were going to stop at Mr. Garrett’s house. It was Mr. Garrett’s habit to provide a new pair of shoes for each of them. Often the runaway slaves would guffaw at the notion of a person giving them anything of value for free. Their lives had been so full of hard labor and cruelty that they found it hard to believe that anyone would be willing to give something and demand nothing from them in return.
After days of traveling through swamps and forests and dodging fugitive slave hunters, the escapees would arrive at Mr. Garrett’s home, and then, just like Harriet told them, Mr. Garrett gave them each a pair of new shoes. He knew they still had hundreds of miles to walk before they reached Canada where fugitive slave hunters could no longer capture them, and he wanted to help them all he could.
When I heard this story about the runaway slaves finding it hard to believe that a stranger would give them a pair of shoes, it reminded me of another far greater situation that affects us all. Often people find it hard to believe in the idea that God loves them so much that He would give His only begotten Son for them. God gave His Son so that sinners might find forgiveness and be made fit for heaven. God can offer the gift of salvation to poor sinners because the Lord Jesus suffered and bled on Calvary’s cross. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” What an immense gift His salvation is! Many people find it hard to believe that God could possibly give so much. This is true because sinners live in harsh conditions of spiritual poverty and bondage. Sin is an evil taskmaster. It demands much and gives nothing of value in return. It drives people to commit acts of wickedness and cruelty. Some people might say that not all sin is an evil taskmaster, but it isn’t true. Sin, of any sort, has the terrible effect of leading souls away from God, the source of every blessing. Sin has a way of dimming the spiritual perceptions of the heart so that God’s goodness and grace are hard to see.
Runaway slaves found it hard to believe about a gift of shoes, and souls who have run into sin and away from God find it also hard to believe in the goodness of God. But they are wrong, just as those runaway slaves were wrong. God is ready to give the gift of salvation to all who believe on the name of His Son. “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (John 20:3131But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31)). It is safe, wise and right to trust Him and take this gift He offers.
God is good and worthy of all our trust. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Don’t let sin limit your thoughts about God. His grace is abundant and free, and He is very willing to keep His promises about salvation. Won’t you leave the spiritual poverty of sin behind and trust Christ today?