Yuen, China
July 31, 2001
I was raised in a traditional Chinese family with a Christian Mother. Since Dad married a Christian against his parents’ warning, my Mom suffered a great deal for her faith (attacks from my Dad’s relatives). As a result, she was almost always bedridden when we were young (up till I was 7 years old, and I am the oldest of 5 kids. She had 5 kids in 6 years.).
In spite of all that she has suffered for her faith in Jesus, she taught us to sing “Jesus loves me this I know”, and “Can a little child like me…” and told us kids (4 girls and a boy) about the love of Jesus. She gathered us around her bed to pray with us for Dad’s work (he was a surgeon) every day. We saw God’s answer to our prayers, when Dad got home from the hospital.
When I was 4, we lived in a huge house in Shanghai, China. Mom got sick every time she saw a big cat. Through my Grandparents (they were devoted Buddhists), we were told that the house we were renting was built on top of a fox cave. The thousand year old fox was ver upset, hence Mom was always sick after seeing him in the form of a big cat.
So, my grandparents hired someone to be the mediator between people and this old fox. They told Mom that she has to apologize to the fox by kneeling to him. But Mom told them since she is a Christian, she will only salute to him to apologize.
When the day came, as soon as the mediator saw Mom, he uttered, “What is in her is greater than I, so she cannot salute to me!” And we never had trouble in that house after that incidence. Hence, we all realized that the God Mom believes in is the greatest God of all.
Then, Jesus healed Mom by sending medical supplies and revealing her source of illness when I was 7. When I was 10, Dad accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour, and Mom was pleasantly surprised, because he did it without her knowing about it.
Though I have seen the power of this Christian God, I also saw all the things that Mom had to put up with in the big family. And had difficulties accepting the fact that God loves us.
So, when I turned 12, I told my parents that I will no longer attend church functions. They accepted my decision, and never asked me to go to church with the family again.
During the years in which I wandered around, I tried to find comfort in classical music, books of all sorts, and decided that nothing could help me to live my life on this earth with strength. Because I realized that it is a lot more difficult to live than to die. But I could not die to hurt my parents, since they love me so much (they will suffer hunger just to make sure we had food to eat, and Mom alter her own clothes to make clothes for us).
When I was 15, one day one of my sisters asked me to accompany Mom to a meeting, because she had exam the next day. I told Mom that I would go with her, if we could sit at the very last row in the auditorium. She promised me that we would not let others see us.
Up to this day, I cannot remember what the preacher said that night. But while he was shouting messages, singing “When the roll is called up yonder”, I was having the spiritual battle in my heart.
On one hand, it was hard for me to believe that God is love when I watched His people suffer. But on the other hand, I realized only this Christian God has the power I needed to carry on living the rest of my days on this earth.
Finally, I decided that: if the condition to have a relationship with this powerful God is to accept the death of His son Jesus, then, God being God, He is entitled to name His condition!!
I must have walked toward the platform as I came to my conclusion, because when I opened my eyes, I was standing on the platform, showing all my childhood acquaintances that I had changed my ways, and had decided to accept Jesus into my life.
It was while we came to Canada, and facing all the difficulties in adapting to the new language, and environment that I finally experienced the love of God.
Now I am fully convinced that God is not only all powerful, but also is full of mercy and kindness. He knows my thoughts, and answered my prayer before I even utter them.
What an amazing God, yet He wants everyone to be in a personal relationship with Him.
Friends, if you have not accepted Him, please consider him, and start to think about your life seriously. When you do, you will also realize that without God’s help it is very hard to live on this earth. And, to have His help and power, you only have to accept His condition, that is to accept the death His son Jesus has suffered for us, and to receive Jesus’ resurrection that has conquered the eternal death.
I hope my sharing is edifying to you.
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