“I COULDN’T HELP seeing some pain and hurt on your face, when I mentioned God’s will a little while ago. Would you like to talk about it?” the old woman asked.
Shelly was startled by her question. “Was I that obvious?” she asked looking at the woman next to her.
Momma Blessing smiled an understanding smile. “It seems like I have known God all my life. And, when I was 18 years old, I became a missionary and dedicated myself to serving Him. It’s been 45 years now and I have loved, cried, taught, prayed and bled for hundreds of God’s children. It would be a blessing to help you, if I can,” she offered. “No pun intended,” she added chuckling with mirth.
Shelly smiled at the small joke and then the sadness returned. She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply.
“How do I start? What can I say?” she said with a heavy heart. “I have grown up in a country that is truly blessed. We know so little about war, true hunger or want. I have always believed in God’s blessings and His protection. But how can I now? I have seen so much death and pain to innocent people, especially women and children. Death has found good people and taken them. Why? God seems so cold and heartless now. It breaks my heart to think of Him that way, but what can I do in the face of what I have seen. People maybe dying at this clinic as we speak and my faith is dying with them,” she ended miserably with tears of grief.
“Oh,” was all that the old woman said. She sat there for a second or two and seemed to be saying a silent prayer.
Then she said, “Let me see if I understand you correctly… because there is death and suffering here, to innocent people, you feel God is cold and heartless,” she asked Shelly.
Shelly just sat there with her eyes closed, tears silently sliding down her face as she nodded yes.
“The Bible tells us God is love. Just like I’m a woman, no matter what I do, I cannot change that, it’s what I am. So, God is love. He does not choose to love, He is love. He grieves most deeply for those that suffer, but there is a higher purpose to this life than the safety and happiness that we seek here. It’s our relationship with Him that matters.”
“Death and suffering entered our world because of sin and our hard-heartedness toward God,” she explained. “We have turned our backs on Him. He hasn’t turned His back on us. Once sin entered our world, death came with it. And death will find us all, every one of us. No one can stay here for very long. But, for those who find God and trust in His Son, He has promised that death cannot keep us and that He will bring us into His new garden, to be with Him. That is where heaven lies now… there with Him and not here on this sad old fallen world.”
“He is trying to rescue us, not leave us here,” she continued. “And for a God who is Majestic and Holy, He has gone to extraordinary lengths to reach us, through His Son Jesus.”
Shelly sat there looking at the elderly woman with questions and yearning still in her eyes.
Then Mamma Blessing asked, “How do you see life here on this planet?” she asked. “Why are we here? From your point of view…” she continued.
That question surprised Shelly. She had never given it much thought, at least not deeply. “I’m not sure… I guess we are here to live a good life. I suppose God is in it somewhere. Yes… a good life, blessed by God,” she finished lamely.
“Well… actually I think it’s just the opposite. I think we are here to bless others and not be blessed ourselves. It’s not a requirement that we be blessed. The only blessing that we should look for in this life… is the blessing of finding God and worshiping our Creator,” Momma B said softly. “That’s the testing.”
Shelly had a searching expression on her face, “What testing?” she asked.
Momma B smiled warmly and answered, “Well, the way I see it… Because our ancestors didn’t appreciate their unique communion with God, in that wonderful garden, and didn’t trust Him enough to obey Him, our perfect life here changed into one of testing. God wants to see which path each person will choose in this life and there are only two paths to choose from.”
“One path is broad and easy. It’s the one most people take on this Earth. They can do what they want, be their own masters and govern their lives according to their own wishes. They can make up any religion they want. They can hate, be greedy, cheat, steal and kill, to one degree or another. Or they can even be good people, if you can call leaving God out of your life good.”
“The other path is found by those who answer God’s call and truly seek Him. Those who really want to know Him and be with Him. This path is narrow and it leads to a single door. That door is Jesus, whose blood covers our disease of sin and allows us to pass into the real life awaiting us now, on the other side with our loving God. But, that path is narrow for a reason. We cannot do what we want. We must forgive when we are hurt, love when that person doesn’t deserve it, be patient and kind and help those who need it, wherever we find it,” she concluded.
“Oh…” was all that Shelly said. Then she added, “But why does He allow so much misery and death, why war?” she asked sadly.
Momma Blessing sat there for a second with a clear, intelligent, compassionate look in her eyes and then said, “God does not desire these things, but because of the testing, it must exist.”
The old woman continued, “Satan is the destroyer, the bringer of darkness and hate. Evil is the cause of all that is painful and deadly here. God is the creator and giver of life, light and love. It’s because Satan is in this world that misery, death and war exist. Do you hate anyone, Shelly?” the wise woman asked.
“What?” Shelly asked in astonishment. “No, not really… I mean… I guess I hate those people who are doing all the killing…” her voice died away in uncertainty.
“Then in the eyes of the world you are correct, but in God’s eyes you are not,” she said gently. “For the life of a Christian, who believes in God and commits to following Him, we must live by His Spirit. That means you must show that you are His by what you do. Your witness to the world is to LOVE and not hate or murder; to show JOY in all that He provides and not grumble; to bring PEACE to your world and to prevent war if you can; to show KINDNESS instead of meanness or revenge; to give out GOODNESS instead of selfishness and greed; to be FAITHFUL to God instead of yourself; to be GENTLE instead of cruel; and to show SELF-CONTROL, not selfishness.”
“Life is a choice, my child,” she continued. “What path you choose makes all the difference. You can choose the path that most people choose on this Earth. It’s wide and easy to follow. It allows you to do what you want, to hate whom you wish and to take what you want. It allows war, death, starvation, theft and destruction. You can do anything and everything, as long as you leave God out of it.”
“But, if you choose God and His way, you must walk the narrow path of a Christian, as our Lord Jesus did. It’s not an easy path to follow, for its way is constricted and hard to stay on. It’s measured by God’s standards, which He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Do you know them?” she asked Shelly.
“What? Are you talking about the Ten Commandments? Yes, I think so… Not all of them, I guess,” she replied feebly.
“Child, I would learn them. You can’t be saved by them, Jesus can only do that, but they are important if you want to see if you are on the narrow path. Ask yourself this…”
“Is God the only one I follow in my life or do I have other things that I listen to?”
“Is God the only one I worship, or are there other things in my life that I love and respect deeply?”
“Do I speak God’s name in honor, or do I use His name in hate, indifference or disrespect?”
“Do I take time in my life to make the Sabbath holy by going to bed the night before on time, to get the rest I need so I can spend the day in honor to God, or is it just another day to me?”
“Do I honor my mother and father because God has asked me to, whether they deserve it or not, or do I allow maybe hate or indifference to influence my thoughts about them?”
“Do I honor the sacred spark of life that only God can give, or do I kill in my heart or even in reality?”
“Do I keep myself pure in God’s eyes by honoring the family as God made it, or do I commit sexual immorality in my heart or for real?”
“Do I cheat or take what does not belong to me?”
“Do I tell the truth always or hide what should not be hidden?”
“Am I content with what God has not given me, or do I crave what someone else has?”
“This is the heart of the commands God gave us to measure our completeness as a child of God. Use it daily to see what is lacking, what needs to be prayed for and to check on how far you have walked along that narrow path,” she ended with a sweet smile.
Shelly sat there stunned, thinking.
Momma Blessing continued, “Don’t you see child that war is here because people are following their own agenda and not God’s? They are allowing hate to infect their hearts and for whatever reasons seems good to them, they are taking what is not theirs to take? Everyone has the opportunity to choose. Which path have you chosen?” she asked the American.
Shelly sat there staring off into space and softy said, “I thought I’d chosen the Christian life, the single door that is Jesus, but I haven’t walked the narrow path, nor worried about bearing spiritual fruit. Is it really that important?” she asked as she turned to look the elder woman in the eyes.
“Dear one… It’s essential to understand who we are and why we are here. Without it we are weak, unhealthy children of God. We are saved by our faith in His Son, but if we are His, we must be growing in His Spirit, and maturing as His child. Nothing that lives can stagnate and not grow, if it does, it remains sickly at best or dies. Some of us are seeing life through the world’s eyes too much, and not seeing it enough through His love, His forgiveness, His mercy, and His Spirit. Think what life would be like on this Earth if all the Christians focused on this path of choice, let alone if the world found it, as well” she ended with a light in her eyes.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful,” Shelly said softly as she saw kindness, forgiveness and love given out into the world.
Momma B said, “I will say it again... for those who love God, we will give and not take. We will get to know Him and follow in His footsteps. We will live by the commandments He left and grow in His Spirit as we follow His will in this life. That is why the primary purpose of our lives here isn’t how blessed we are, but how much we can bless others, through His Spirit. It’s not up to us to expect a long life on this Earth, just to make the best use of our life, while we have it.”
“We must follow our Lord along that narrow path by allowing his Spirit to produce His character in us. To: GIVE Love; BE Joyful; OFFER Peace; STAY Patient; DELIVER Kindness; LIVE Faithfully; DISTRIBUTE Gentleness; and DIE TO SELF through Self-control.”
Shelly said, “I know what you are telling me is true. It’s like my eyes were closed before. But, it’s hard for me to see beyond what I know. How can I see the next life when I am so enmeshed in this one?”
“Walk the narrow path, child. Walk it each day, in every way. Do not deviate from it, if you can,” she said firmly and without reservation. “You are a Christian warrior in this world, fighting evil, staying true, honest and brave in the face of darkness and death. Walk the narrow path child,” she said with conviction.
Shelly could see the truth and wisdom in what the old missionary was saying. She was looking at life on this planet differently now. She could see a small glimmer of light at the end of her life that wasn’t there before. She could see God waiting for her and helping her on her way to Him.
Then Momma B stood up and said, “I have to prepare dinner now. You sit here and rest. Think on what we have talked about,” she suggested. “We can talk about it later, if you’d like.”
Then Momma B laid her hand on Shelly’s good shoulder and prayed out loud, “Dear, sweet, loving, and kind Lord, be with this child of yours. Guild her and let her know who you are. How mighty and holy, and yet loving and tender. Help us all to walk the narrow path that your Son took, and then to enter your kingdom when the time comes. Show her your provisions and be with all of us in this world of pain and sorrow. Thank you for the love and protection you do provide, according to your will. Amen.”
Shelly took to heart Momma Blessing’s words. Deep in her heart she felt the certainty in what she had heard. Shelly saw life here differently now. She prayed for the strength and wisdom she needed to continue in this life following God. She prayed that He would provide according to His will. She hoped that she would have the strength to continue down the narrow path, which she now chose to follow with all of her heart.
With this change of heart, she could feel God reaching down deep within her soul, wrapping His arms around her. She heard His soft, gentle voice telling her of His deep, infinite love for her and that no matter what happened now, in this temporary place called Earth, she was safe with Him.
Rescued