本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛以下是牧师太太的来信，信中S代表牧师的太太，P代表牧师，V代表牧师的母亲，J代表牧师的父亲。
Hello friends,
I truly believe miracles have occurred, by the mere fact that J and V are still alive. I believe this grace period shown to V and J is not merely for the saving of their lives, but more importantly for the saving of their souls and all who are witness to them defying their doctor's proclamations of imminent death.
Today in church, there was a discussion about why God allows His children to go through suffering and sorrow....the answer is Faith. Everyday we have opportunities to be faithless or faithful. When we pray (no matter if God's answer is "yes" or "no") we are acting in faith. I thank you all for your prayers, as they strengthened our family in more ways than one. When V was at death's door, strike that...she was sitting at his dining table (that's how serious it was)...this is what finally broke through J's foolishness. J's health is poor, he is 84, and was a smoker for most of his life...we know that his time is short, and it grieved us to see him resistant to understanding who Jesus really is. A belief that "there is a God" and that "I'm a good person" is not the Way. It took seeing V near death for J to break down before God...but, J still didn't understand who God is...J thought he could bargain with God: his life for V's.
J's heartache was the avenue in which God brought P to share His love with J and let him know that such bargains are not His way...God loves us, loved us so much He allowed His one and only Son to die for us. It was Jesus' life that was traded for ours...no one else can ever be sacrificed to save our souls...Jesus paid it all. For the first time, J was willing to listen. There was a message of hope shared with J that day: that God is good and that His love is great enough for everyone to share in. God is not petty, He is not cruel: He does not delight in our pain or struggles. He cries with us; He is heartbroken with us (think of His tears for Lazarus) even though He knows death and sorrow will not prevail over us, because He is our Lord and Saviour (Jesus knew all along that Lazarus would come forth from the grave).
Yes, I've been quite long-winded and preachy...thank you for bearing with me, but it has been a transforming period to see what God can do. The doctors keep coming by V's room to tell her how lucky she is....they don't know how she is still alive and beginning to recover. She is not out of harm's way yet...she has a type of arrhythmia: in simpler terms her heart stops beating for a few seconds throughout the day. If this condition persists or worsens, she will need a pace-maker to keep her alive. She is able to talk a bit, sit up and feed herself, but she is still very ill and weak. All this weighs heavily on V and she is struggling with depression. Please keep V in your prayers.
J has been greatly encouraged to see V's health progress bit by bit. J is recovering from pneumonia, but now has blood in his urine...another sign of his failing kidneys. Please keep J in your prayers.
One day we will all leave this life, it is inevitable, but the key is this: did we have faith in Jesus? The faithful will not grieve like the faithless...take comfort in this my friends and share this truth with another. That is what your prayers have done for us and will continue to do: give hope and strengthen faith in a God who cares. Thank you.
With love,
S更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Hello friends,
I truly believe miracles have occurred, by the mere fact that J and V are still alive. I believe this grace period shown to V and J is not merely for the saving of their lives, but more importantly for the saving of their souls and all who are witness to them defying their doctor's proclamations of imminent death.
Today in church, there was a discussion about why God allows His children to go through suffering and sorrow....the answer is Faith. Everyday we have opportunities to be faithless or faithful. When we pray (no matter if God's answer is "yes" or "no") we are acting in faith. I thank you all for your prayers, as they strengthened our family in more ways than one. When V was at death's door, strike that...she was sitting at his dining table (that's how serious it was)...this is what finally broke through J's foolishness. J's health is poor, he is 84, and was a smoker for most of his life...we know that his time is short, and it grieved us to see him resistant to understanding who Jesus really is. A belief that "there is a God" and that "I'm a good person" is not the Way. It took seeing V near death for J to break down before God...but, J still didn't understand who God is...J thought he could bargain with God: his life for V's.
J's heartache was the avenue in which God brought P to share His love with J and let him know that such bargains are not His way...God loves us, loved us so much He allowed His one and only Son to die for us. It was Jesus' life that was traded for ours...no one else can ever be sacrificed to save our souls...Jesus paid it all. For the first time, J was willing to listen. There was a message of hope shared with J that day: that God is good and that His love is great enough for everyone to share in. God is not petty, He is not cruel: He does not delight in our pain or struggles. He cries with us; He is heartbroken with us (think of His tears for Lazarus) even though He knows death and sorrow will not prevail over us, because He is our Lord and Saviour (Jesus knew all along that Lazarus would come forth from the grave).
Yes, I've been quite long-winded and preachy...thank you for bearing with me, but it has been a transforming period to see what God can do. The doctors keep coming by V's room to tell her how lucky she is....they don't know how she is still alive and beginning to recover. She is not out of harm's way yet...she has a type of arrhythmia: in simpler terms her heart stops beating for a few seconds throughout the day. If this condition persists or worsens, she will need a pace-maker to keep her alive. She is able to talk a bit, sit up and feed herself, but she is still very ill and weak. All this weighs heavily on V and she is struggling with depression. Please keep V in your prayers.
J has been greatly encouraged to see V's health progress bit by bit. J is recovering from pneumonia, but now has blood in his urine...another sign of his failing kidneys. Please keep J in your prayers.
One day we will all leave this life, it is inevitable, but the key is this: did we have faith in Jesus? The faithful will not grieve like the faithless...take comfort in this my friends and share this truth with another. That is what your prayers have done for us and will continue to do: give hope and strengthen faith in a God who cares. Thank you.
With love,
S更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net