Taken on Trust

World citizen and contagious Christian Terry Waite entitled his autobiography Taken on Trust. In it he recounts his horrendous experience as a hostage in Beirut prisons for 1,763 days, almost four years of which were in solitary confinement. His first cell, underground, was 7 feet by 10 feet. Because he is 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Waite had difficulty standing erect. He learned to sit in a lotus position. Although living in cramped quarters, he made himself walk; some days he estimated seven miles. Day and night were indistinguishable. He was led to the toilet once a day. Early in his "detainment" Terry Waite vowed that his captors would not capture his soul. "Whatever is done to my body, I will fight to the end to keep my inner freedom."
He discovered that fasting increased his spiritual strength. His prayer life was consistent and beautiful. From memory, he would go through the communion service as recorded in the Book of Common Prayer, without the visible sacrament, of course.
This man, who served as envoy for the archbishop of Canterbury for many years and who had personally negotiated hostage releases for six years, had at last become one himself. Painful as was his condition, he accepted and recited his mantra: "No regrets, no sentimentality, no self-pity."