In the book of our life, what will we write
 
By Norma Najacht
Opinion
Custer County Chronicle - Custer, South Dakota
 
I love it when the good guys win. Whether it’s a book, a movie, or just life, I like happy endings.

I believe life truly is stranger than fiction, which is why I enjoy books and movies about real people. And I especially like reading books or watching movies about people who have made a difference in somebody else’s life.

Who could forget Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved the lives of over 1,000 Polish Jews during Nazi Germany’s "final solution," immortalized in the movie "Schindler’s List." The survivors and descendants of the approximately 1,100 Jews sheltered by Schindler now number over 6,000.

Another of my favorite movies is "Anna and the King." The film is based on the life of Anna Leonowens, a British governess in Siam (now Thailand) during the 19th century. While it is uncertain how much influence she really had on the king’s son, and therefore the country, it is accepted that she did, indeed, have a direct impact on the future of that country. What an inspiration to know that one lone woman can change the course of an entire country!

The book "Tisha" was given to me by a former pastor’s wife and it is to this day one of my favorites. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. It is the true story of a young women who went to Alaska as a teacher and influenced many a life because of her high principles and refusal to compromise. It is full of adventure and romance and, yes, it has a happy ending.

I gravitate to books and movies where it is a woman who makes a difference. I believe each of us has that potential, yet we see it so rarely.

I am convinced that Elissa Wall, the 21-year-old woman who brought a lawsuit against Warren Jeffs, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) prophet, is one of those women. Imagine what courage this young woman must have possessed to bring down this man she was taught from birth was the mouthpiece of God! From an early age, she was taught that he alone holds the keys to heaven and hell. He holds complete sway over the lives of an estimated 10,000 people in the FLDS.

I read with interest an article in "The Spectrum" about Rebecca Musser, Elissa’s sister, who was 19 and married to Warren Jeff’s father, Rulon Jeffs, the then-86-year-old prophet of the FLDS. During Warren Jeff’s trial, she talked about her conversation with him after Rulon’s death in 2002.

Rebecca said Warren had been marrying many of Rulon’s wives and that he informed her that only a few men were acceptable for her to marry — including himself, of course. Rebecca told him she was not going to marry him and that she was leaving the community.

Making eye contact with Warren, Rebecca told how he, with his finger pointed at her (as she demonstrated in the courtroom), was told by Warren, "I will break you. You have too much freedom. No matter who you marry, I will have jurisdiction over you. You know that’s what God wanted."

Everyone I interviewed for this week’s article on Warren Jeffs’ guilty verdict said essentially the same thing: this young woman has made a difference in the lives of other young women who don’t want to marry old men or their first cousins. She is to be greatly admired for that.

Mike Watkiss said this will send a message to the men of the FLDS that they can’t do that anymore to the young women under their control.

But I wonder. Will they give up what they claim is their "divine decree" to practice their "religion"? Or will they "take to the mattresses" (in this case — compounds), and go underground? Will they build more compounds, where no one can get in to see what they are doing, but more importantly, where no one can get out to tell what they are doing?

Only time will tell, but I’m betting that we’ll be seeing more construction at the compounds we already have and perhaps even more compounds will be developed. I seriously doubt if they will give up this practice, but will do whatever it takes to do it secretly.

As far as the compound in Custer County is concerned, consider this: The only reason we even know about it is because another woman — Cookie Hickstein — spent the time to research it and blew the cover off its existence here.

Neither Cookie nor Elissa will probably ever have a book written about them or a movie made, nor will most of the people who have touched other people’s lives in significant ways.

But ultimately, our rewards are not in this life, after all.

Our late pastor used to tell us the true story of an old missionary who had spent his life in Africa. His health broken, his career ended, he was coming home at the end of his years.

With the shores of the United States in sight, he stood on the deck of the ship and wondered if anyone would be there to greet him and welcome him home. He had been gone so many years, would anyone even remember him? Many of those he’d left behind were now gone.

As the ship drew closer to the dock, he saw banners flying.

"Welcome Home!" they said. His ears caught the sound of a brass band playing while a huge crowd waved and shouted.

"Wow, I didn’t expect all this!" he thought.

But when the boat docked, he realized it wasn’t him the crowd was welcoming home. For President Teddy Roosevelt was also on the ship. He had been on an African safari and the festivities were in honor of him.

No one met the old missionary. "Oh, Lord, I don’t mean to complain," he prayed. "But I gave my life there. The President has only been hunting wild animals." Tears stung his eyes as he continued. "I buried my wife and all my children over there. My heath is gone. Couldn’t somebody have greeted me home? It hardly seems fair."

Quietly, the Lord spoke to his heart, "Son, you’re not home yet."

We all have choices to make about how we spend our lives. Each of us has the opportunity to touch others for good. What will we take into eternity?

The final chapter has yet to be written in each of our lives. What will the final pages say? The choice is ours.
 
CusterCountyNews.com
Originally published Wednesday, October 3, 2007
 
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