After Darkness; Light

I read a book recently about John Calvin. Wow... what an amazing guy. When I say amazing I mean flat out, full throttle, Gospel preaching amazing. He was basically the superman of all preachers. There's a story where John Calvin was being hunted in Paris as a heretic by King Francis' men. The story goes that the men tracked down Calvin and were in hot pursuit when Calvin dodged them with some of his James Bond-ish moves. He changed out of his scholar's robes, threw on some ragged farming clothes, threw a hoe over his shoulder and walked straight past his pursuers. They didn''t recognize him and he escaped with ease.
    Not only was he a savvy traveler, he was also a fearless preacher. On several occasions he had to be guarded by friends and rushed out of town for his own protection. During one of his sermons in Geneva a group of men armed to the teeth with swords and daggers rushed the pulpit in an attempt to kill him. Some of Calvin's quick thinking friends circled him and made a human barrier to protect their minister. He didn't care about his own safety or health, he was going to preach. Calvin suffered from illnesses his entire life and even on his deathbed refused to stop blessing God and praying for his congregation. I mean, here was a man who knew pain and suffering. His friends were burned at the stake and he was hunted almost his entire life. He watched as his children fell ill and died, shortly followed by his wife and he still praised God. Does anyone else think this sounds a little like Job's trials?
   Geneva's city motto is, 'After Darkness; Light'. This phrase not only summarizes Geneva's history, it describes the entire Protestant Reformation. The darkness of the Roman Catholic church's heresy was sick and blasphemous, but as we've seen throughout history, God uses imperfect men to carry out His perfect plan. How much greater was the Reformation because of this sin? How much lighter is a candle when it sits in a dark room? Christ charges us to be the light of the world. What are we waiting for?