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Born: 1797, Ulster County, New York
Born in the Dutch settlement of Ulster County, Sojourner was named "Isabella" by her slave parents. She was sold for the first time at an auction when she was probably about nine years old. Isabella spoke Dutch as child and never learned to read and write. Though she learned to speak English later in life, she continued to speak with a Dutch accent.
Isabella suffered the many hardships and indignities of slavery, passing from master to master until the emancipation of slaves in New York State in 1828. Yet she was determined to leave the world a better place. She went on to devote her efforts, charismatic personality and public speaking prowess to a number of causes close to her heart including abolition, women's suffrage and, later, the resettlement of freed Southern slaves.
Sojourner was an unusual woman for her time in many ways. She was nearly six-feet tall. She was outspoken and blunt. She believed and fought for the rights of the oppressed and the forgotten. She travelled as a preacher of God's truth, speaking where and when she could about a faith which could not be shaken.
Though not everyone can identify with the life that she must have led as a slave or the life that she led after gaining her freedom, most of us can appreciate the strength required to do what she did. For Sojourner, this strength came from faith in Jesus Christ.
We can only imagine what she must have survived, but she left behind a legacy for all women - of courage, determination and unwavering faith.
"But I believe in the next world. When we get up yonder, we shall have all them rights 'stored to us again." (Sojourner Truth, quoted in the Anti-Slavery Bugle, Oct. 1856) If you're looking for the strength to carry you through your own tough times, click here to find out more.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.
Sources:
Women in History - Sojourner Truth biography:
http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/trut-soj.htm
Ain't I A Woman? - http://www.digitalsojourn.org/speech.html
The National Women's Hall of Fame - http://www.greatwomen.org/truth.htm
Sojourner Truth: A Life and Legacy of Faith
(Written for the Sojourner Truth Institute of Battle Creek, in association with the Historical Society of Battle Creek, by Mary G. Butler, with special thanks to Dorothy and Michael Martich, Martin Ashley, Michael Evans, Timothy Hoyle, Zoe Kimmel and Thea Rozetta Lapham.). At the Sojourner Truth Institute homepage - http://www.sojournertruth.org/Default.htm