“Henry had felt for a long time that the Lord had called him to preach. After much praying, he asked Ora what she thought was the thing for them to do. She told him if the Lord had called him to preach, she thought he ought to prepare himself to do what the Lord called him to do. Henry didn’t have much education; he had no high school work. Ora told him she knew it would take a long time and the road would be hard, but they would just trust in the Lord and everything would work out for the best.
When the people in the community heard about his decision, they tried to discourage him on every hand, but he was a determined young man. Even his own family turned against him. He had entered politics, running for supervisor in that section of Smith county and was assured of a victory. Though he had a promising future before him, however, he listened to the still small voice of God and turned his back on these things and set his face toward doing God’s will.”
When I read these words from a book called “The Ups and Downs of Our Lives” that my Great-Aunt Nell Meriweather compiled from two notebooks that my Great-Grandmother Ora Gregg Wood had written in the last years of her life, I was flabbergasted to say the least. The more I continued to put together the story of my great-grandparents the more I felt compelled to write a book about them. However, like most of my thoughts, doubts invaded and it never came to pass. That is…until I quit my job and had literally run out of excuses. I had always wanted to be a writer, but I figured there was no interest in anything I had to say. (that still may be the case) One day while watching TV, it finally hit me. I got up, sat down in front of my computer, prayed, and this happened – I became William Henry Wood:
Up until this point, I had always felt that my parents loved and supported me completely. I guess the change happened in them because of pride. They became more worried about what people thought and less about my goals or happiness. “I honestly can’t believe you, Henry,” William Thomas Wood exclaimed in frustration. “I just talked to Mr. Simmons who issues me that your future is very bright here. How could you just walk away from all of that because of something you think you feel?” I knew this was not going to be an easy conversation, but I had hoped my father might be more reasonable. But he would not stop…becoming more angry with each word that came out of his mouth. “I just don’t understand. You have 6 children, a wife, a home, parents who love you, not to mention a great opportunity to become the youngest supervisor in the county. And how do you think you will be able to make it. You only have a 6th grade education. I mean preachers have to have some smarts about them. You have none, that is obvious to me by just making such a foolish decision.” I could no longer take it. “Daddy, I don’t expect you to understand. I am a grown man and you’re right I have enormous responsibilities at home, but I also know that the Lord is calling me, calling me to preach. I trust in Him to provide all my needs because I want to follow Him. I thought you of all people would understand. You taught me to study the word of God and put my faith and trust in Him. Well, Dad, that is what I am doing.”
William Thomas Wood paced the floor in disappointment. “Henry, son, you know our Lord would not call you to do something so absurd.” “Dad, the impossible is what God specializes in, for with God ALL things are possible. I’m sorry that you do not understand or support my decision. I cannot ignore the still small voice of my Lord and Savior calling me to Him. I just hope one day you can forgive me for not being and doing what you want.” William Thomas Wood stood staring out the window. It was if all his hopes for his first born son were destroyed. He could not look at me.“ Don’t expect any help from me or your mother.”
And with that, I just stared at my father who remained fixated on the world outside until it was clear to me that I must turn away from all that I knew and not look back. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” I thought as I left my father knowing this may very well be the last time that I would ever see him.
After writing this beginning scene, I sat out to learn as much about William Henry and Ora Wood as I possibly could. I made the trip to the Mississippi Archives to find the newspaper articles about Henry running for supervisor in Smith County. Much to my surprise, he was actually running for constable, but it was cool reading his announcements in the paper. In the meantime, my Great-Aunt Nell sent me all of W.H. Wood’s sermons. It was amazing! I now had all his words from before school and after he completed his formal education which took him quite a long time.
I would love for you to get my book, Suffering for Victory and read all about my great-grandparents! It was my first book and is actually a little rough at times due to my inexperience in writing, but it tells a story of a couple who clearly followed the Lord. Of course, I embellished my great-grandmother’s stories to make it more interesting simply because so many things were incomplete. The fun was that I got to make up the scenes as I would imagine they actually happened as told by Henry Wood.
If you are interested in getting my book – Suffering for Victory, I have several copies available for $10 or you can buy the kindle or paperback version at amazon.com If have read my book or read my book, please leave a review! Thank you for your interest in this incredible tale of faith.