Xiao Cao is a quiet girl. She attended services at my campus fellowship along with her ex-boyfriend, a privileged second generation Christian. He attended every meeting because he was the piano player, so Xiao Cao came with him. She seldom spoke in the fellowship and returned to their college with him on her arm after gatherings.
Over time, her ex-boyfriend could not participate in every gathering, but she still went alone. The fellowship members regarded them as a perfect match. However, they suddenly broke up because of a trifling thing.
Although after the breakup, she disappeared for a while, she kept attending meetings. She looked like a well-cared-for princess in the past, but she seemed lonely and had little communication with other fellowship members.
After one year, she and her ex-boyfriend both met new partners. Her current boyfriend is also a member of the fellowship. Afterwards, she became a Christian. She is a really cute girl next door, willing to help others.
I talked about some believers' miserable experiences with her. After hearing those stories, she donated some money for each one and asked me to pass it on to them.
She was also generous to strangers. Once a brother who studied in a university in Hangzhou suffered from leukemia. Hearing this, she transferred some money to me and told me to give it to him. I also shared his case with a large Christian group on WeChat, a popular social media in China, but many questions were dropped on me like bombs. Since a large portion of the group members lived in the same city as the brother, I publicly provided the details of the hospital, hoping local believers would verify his weakness. However, the group was eerily silent.
The issue had a big impact on me. I realized that Xiao Cao was much more loving than many Christians.
The so-called love Christians are proud of is finite and collapses with one blow, but Cao had compassion even before following Jesus and became a loving Christian.
We always stress that our salvation has nothing to do with ourselves but comes from the Lord alone, but pay attention to what James said: faith without deeds is dead (James 2:17). We should not only talk about verses beneficial to us and ignore Christ's holistic teachings. Salvation is free but not cheap. First generation Christians like Xiao Cao are more likely to respect and cherish the Christian faith.
- Translated by Karen Luo
