For some reason, I haven't attended a church meeting for a long time.
A few days ago, I received a phone call from a senior female Christian (accountant) from the church I often went to.
She said sincerely, "Brother Zhao! I hope you can go back to church because I am afraid that you will slowly drift away from the Lord and lose the blessings of heaven because of your frequent absence from gatherings." In order to persuade me, that elderly believer told me the story of her family.
She said that her family was quite comfortable. She and her husband had high pensions, and her son was also working for a state-owned company. But she never expected that her son would make some shady friends who would make him addicted to drugs. Not only did he lose his job, but his young wife left their child and went away without any message. Her young grandson was left in the care of her and her husband, who died soon after. Her disappointed son became more self-abandoned and often went out, and once he was gone for a long time, no one was able to contact him. The grief-stricken senior woman, in desperation, started to believe in the Lord.
She kept praying for her son, who had not been heard from, but finally, she got the news, which was not a good one. It was a call from the police. Her son had been arrested and might face charges for a variety of issues, including drug use. Worse, the aged Christian also learned that her son had already mortgaged her house to the bank for a loan.
The sudden succession of bad news was too much for her to bear. She got down on her knees and begged for a change.
She hoped that her son's situation would get better and that her grandson would have someone to care for. Because she is almost 80 years old, if one day she dies, who will care for her teenage grandson?
Thinking of this, she could not help crying and praying. Soon, there was good news. Her daughter-in-law, who had been gone for a long time, showed up to take her son away. Her prodigal son also finally turned back. Although her son had been sentenced to be jailed for many years (there might not be a reunion day for her and her son in this life), it has made her very grateful to see her son start over.
That senior Christian said, "If I didn't trust in God, I wouldn't have the courage to live. So I advise you, Brother Zhao, don't leave the Lord!"
I hung up the phone and was lost in thought. I tell myself, no matter what I go through, not to be an ungrateful person in front of the Lord!
(The original article is published by the Gospel Times and the author is a Christian in Liaoning.)
-Translated by Nicolas Cao
