My mother has been dead for a month, but her words and deeds still come to mind from time to time. She used to feed my life with her love and words and cultivate my courage to move forward. As she liked to praise the Lord in everything, I called her "Hallelujah mother".
Late at night, I recalled her words in a hotel in a strange city.
She said: "If a child is naughty and disobedient, you should say something nice to him, and he will get better! Don't look at what you don’t have; just cherish what you have now. Don't say bad words, but say the words that God likes. Don't say the faults of others, but say your own faults."
She said, "Your stuff is yours, and others' is others'. Don't be greedy and take others’ things. Be honest."
She said, "Put God first, and you will have everything. Love God more than material comforts, children, family, and life. With the love of God, you will have the energy to love others." My mother lived a life of loving God first.
She said many words, which was all she believed. Whatever she believed, she lived like that. She was not a preacher or a pastor, but she was an example for us.
My mother knew Jesus because of her illness and was cured because of her faith. She made a pact with herself: no medicine, no injections, and no hospitalization. With her faith, she was spared the torture of medicine, injections, and illness. She was willing to bring everything she had to the church.
She had many mottos. The first was that it is better to rely on God than to trouble others. She always said, "Rely on God!" Under this belief, she experienced many miracles, such as recovering from liver disease, being hit by a car without injury, and climbing out of a well she fell into.
The second was that fortune is vanity, but dedication to Jesus is not. My mother lived to be 92, with four generations and many filial children and grandchildren. She never left any private money for herself. She dedicated her life, her children’s future, and her family space to God, and she gave money to those in need.
The third was that praying more will be more powerful, and prayer solves everything. For decades, my mother appeared in various indoor prayer meetings and mountain prayer meetings of the church and participated in the watch prayer meeting at five o'clock in the morning all her life.
In addition to Sunday worship, she never missed other meetings and studies, such as the basic thoroughfare of the gospel, the Special Revival Meeting, or systematic Bible study sessions. As long as she was allowed to attend, she would definitely appear in the lecture hall.
The fourth motto was that "you should not prepare a coffin for me because I have hope for heaven". She looked forward to a Christian extended family, her children serving the Lord, and her eternal home in heaven.
My mother supported us in prayer for decades, but she did so with her knees and tears all year round. Before she died, all 62 of my family members accepted Jesus as our savior.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
