Sunday, August 08, 2004
The gods never answered... Part 3
Singing worshipers with shining faces welcomed us. After they introduced themselves, they continued singing and praying to this God they seemed to love very much. It was so different from Hindu worship.
The minister read from his Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16)
A God of love? A God who would send his own Son to die for all people--including Hindus? Though I barely understood this amazing God of love, I knew it was true. At the end of the meeting, I bowed my head, prayed for God's forgiveness, and received Christ.
I was afraid, however, that if I told my mother what I had done, I would be punished. So I said nothing and continued to attend the house meetings by convincing my family that I was only helping the blind women get to church.
But my enthusiasm in helping her was so obvious that my mother eventually grew suspicious. "Are you a Christian?" she demanded one day.
"Yes, Mother," I replied, and I continued to answer every question she flung at me. Suddenly I realized I was no longer afraid; I wanted everyone to know that Jesus was my Lord.
My mother was angry and disappointed. She couldn't comprehend what God had done for me. She only knew that she has lost her daughter to a strange Western religion, and that meant persecution from the Indian community--not just toward me, but her as well
"You will never set foot in a Christian church again!" she declared, and I knew she meant it.
My life was torn in two. Indian custom demands parental approval for everything, and defiance is serious offense. But I couldn't forsake Jesus, either, so I persisted in maintaining my Christian relationships.
Yet my mother was just as determined to destroy my faith. To eliminate any Christian influence, she decided to move us to an Indian township populated only by other Hindus and Muslims.
Click here to go to Part 4
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The minister read from his Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16)
A God of love? A God who would send his own Son to die for all people--including Hindus? Though I barely understood this amazing God of love, I knew it was true. At the end of the meeting, I bowed my head, prayed for God's forgiveness, and received Christ.
I was afraid, however, that if I told my mother what I had done, I would be punished. So I said nothing and continued to attend the house meetings by convincing my family that I was only helping the blind women get to church.
But my enthusiasm in helping her was so obvious that my mother eventually grew suspicious. "Are you a Christian?" she demanded one day.
"Yes, Mother," I replied, and I continued to answer every question she flung at me. Suddenly I realized I was no longer afraid; I wanted everyone to know that Jesus was my Lord.
My mother was angry and disappointed. She couldn't comprehend what God had done for me. She only knew that she has lost her daughter to a strange Western religion, and that meant persecution from the Indian community--not just toward me, but her as well
"You will never set foot in a Christian church again!" she declared, and I knew she meant it.
My life was torn in two. Indian custom demands parental approval for everything, and defiance is serious offense. But I couldn't forsake Jesus, either, so I persisted in maintaining my Christian relationships.
Yet my mother was just as determined to destroy my faith. To eliminate any Christian influence, she decided to move us to an Indian township populated only by other Hindus and Muslims.
Click here to go to Part 4
