Frank C. Laubach (1884–1970)

Frank C. Laubach was a missionary, educator, and linguist who believed that teaching people to read could serve both human flourishing and the spread of the gospel. Patient and methodical, he gave himself to slow, often unseen work—listening, recording sounds, and shaping lessons that ordinary learners could master. His life illustrates a quiet heroism: perseverance when progress is measured in syllables, not headlines.

Mindanao, Philippines (September 2, 1930)

While serving on Mindanao—an island marked by rugged geography, diverse peoples, and many local tongues—Laubach spent long hours learning speech patterns and refining a simple alphabet that fit the sounds of the language he was studying. On September 2, 1930, he recorded a line that has encouraged generations: “God is always awaiting the chance to give us high days. We so seldom are in deep earnest about giving him his chance.” He wrote with the conviction that literacy would open doors: families could read, communities could strengthen, and Scripture could be understood firsthand rather than only heard secondhand.

“High Days” and Wholehearted Surrender

Laubach’s counsel presses believers toward earnestness—an undivided heart, steady obedience, and prayer that expects God to act. The Bible speaks in the same key: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Seeking God fully is not a mood but a posture—repenting quickly, obeying promptly, serving faithfully, and trusting His timing.

His work also reflects the humility of Christian service. Literacy was not treated as a trophy, but as a tool for love: teaching one person, then equipping that person to teach another. In that pattern, everyday effort becomes multiplied mercy, and private discipline becomes public blessing.

The promise of “high days” is not a guarantee of ease, but of God’s nearness and power in surrendered lives. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). When believers give God “His chance” through earnest faith, He delights to turn ordinary days into holy victories that strengthen many.