On a winter dusk in 2006, I headed to the library with a Buddhist book, intending to borrow another of the same type after returning the first.
"Hello, have you read the Bible?" This greeting halted me and directed me to Christ.
Behind every coincidence, God has made great preparations. It was the most confusing and helpless time in my life since I couldn't discover the meaning of life or the drive to live. I once read the inspirational book Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude on the power of faith, but I couldn't find it for myself. At the time, a simple question knocked on the door of my heart.
At the start of my faith, I worked at a state-owned company in Shenyang City. I was quite busy at work and only got two or three days off each month. A Christian friend joked that God rested after the six days of creation, while I was even busier! Back then, I believed that faith could fix my problems, so I resigned and began a full-time ministry.
Let’s say that I am the one who needs God, rather than saying that He has called me to serve. As a 17-year-old believer, I have been getting service and healing from God rather than claiming that I serve Him. Finally, there is reliance and solid ground in my life.
Previously, I always felt lonely, even though my parents loved me very much. Although my academic record had always been excellent, people's praise couldn’t be the strength in my heart.
Before knowing Jesus, I visited a suburban attraction with a beautiful landscape and various amusement equipment. However, I preferred to lie down on a hammock hanging in the woods. It was getting dark, and the location was announced to be closed. I wondered where I should go. How about continuing to lie here? My heart was wandering while my body was on earth.
Following Jesus helped my heart find its way home. The believers in the church love one another, which opened up a new world for me: it turns out that people can live such a life.
After serving full-time, I have been in the writing ministry for over a decade, witnessing many touching testimonies: a group of Christians chose to serve the elderly with limited mobility in a leprosy rehabilitation village for free for several years over their previous comfortable lives; a sister sold their houses to adopt abandoned babies and orphans; top students left their privileged lives to run for the Lord; and many Christians served the seriously ill and homeless.
All these moving testimonies testify to God's power, as those who serve have themselves experienced God's service. When I spoke with these people, they did not talk about what they had done. On the contrary, they admitted more about God's power and exposed their weaknesses. In comparison to them, what I've been doing has been even more insufficient, yet the fact remains that we all rely on God's grace. God serves us through the services we give while also building up others, which is a life of love.
Serving God may appear to be a narrow path, yet it is a bright, hopeful, and light road built on love. Blessed are the ones selected by God who answer His call and embark on a life of service.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
