By Yang Zhi, China
Early in the morning, after she got up, Auntie Guiying, standing in the yard, said: “If one doesn’t make great efforts in his behavior, it’s difficult for him to gain wealth; as long as one can suffer, dirt can be turned into gold. No matter what job one does, so long as he can suffer a lot, he can make much money and lead a good life. Young people should especially set up a plan for making money. As long as one has money, he can have ample food and clothing and live contentedly and happily. So, we must not be gluttonous and lazy. Work hard and we can be rewarded. My daughter-in-law, hurry to drive your Dad and me to the mine. Let’s pick out ores together. It is important to make money.”
In a moment, her daughter-in-law drove them to the mine. All the way she recalled those past years of her own life: In the beginning, only twenty days after childbearing, I went to pick cotton in the land so as to earn a wage, with the result that my breast filled up with pus; nevertheless, in order to make money, I only dealt with it simply at home and enduring the pain, continued picking cotton. Later, I had to undergo an operation because of serious infection. The pus was drawn and I took eight stitches. At that moment, although having been exhausted physically and mentally, I fought the illness to work for money in order to live a happy life at an early date. After some time, I gradually recovered and then started doing business again together with my husband. My husband killed pigs and sold pork and I accompanied him to work night and day. I lived frugally to save up more money. I farmed eleven acres of land, raised four head of cattle and at the same time, brought up our four children. Through the hard working, our economic condition gradually turned better; the new houses for our three sons were built up separately and then they got married. Our life finally got better day by day … When she thought of these, her heart warmed. She kept going: But for my working desperately and continuously and thus making more money, how could our life get better? The life now is a little better than in the past, but I shouldn’t be satisfied with the status quo. I should earn much more money while I have energy. I heard that it is easier and quicker to earn money by picking out ores. As long as I work hard, I should be able to gain much money.
Auntie Guiying was absorbed in only picking out ores to make money, not considering her health at all. Even if it snowed heavily she still did that. Every time she carried at least eighty jin of ores on her back, or sometimes up to one hundred jin at most. She was often tired and breathless with a sore back; nevertheless, she still insisted on working. Although having earned much money, she suffered serious herniated disc owing to a long-term strain. At the news, she was very depressed and felt done for, thinking to herself: The disease is very difficult to be cured, what will it cost me to cure the disease? When will I recover from it and then continue to work for money? Feeling utterly helpless, she had to be hospitalized. In hospital for only one month, she had spent ten thousand yuan, but her illness wasn’t still eased. She couldn’t walk at all and was so ached that she could do nothing. She finally had to lie in bed for over a year. The torment of the illness and spiritual suffering made her worried and troubled to the extreme. To her, the days truly did feel like years. She didn’t understand: Now my life is rich. Without worrying about food and clothing, I should have been in a good mood. Why am I still so troubled and anxious? Though my daughter cares about me and takes care of my living, I feel lonely, desolate and helpless within my heart. These things such as money and material have never brought peace and joy to my spirit; instead, I am full of illnesses because of overworking for money. I live such a miserable, merciful and sorrowful life, for what after all do I live?
Just as Auntie felt pained and helpless, the two sisters from the same village with her came and visited her. One of them patiently said to her, “Auntie, we humans are created by God, and everything of us comes from Him. He is the source of our life, and is our only reliance. Moreover, He is the One who is worthy of our following, obeying and worshiping. As long as we believe in and worship God, we can achieve His care and protection and live happily and joyfully. However, because we have been corrupted by Satan and departed from Him, we don’t know Him, much less worship Him, but worship Satan and pursue material wealth such as money, fame and gain. These things have become our lifelong objective to strive toward and we rustle about and even sacrifice our lives for them. Consequently, we are corrupted and fooled by Satan to the extent that we are exhausted, held up by the illness and extremely pained. Let’s read a passage of God’s word, ‘Where did the pain of birth, death, illness and old age present throughout the life of man come from? Because of what did people first have these things? Did man have these things when they were first created? They didn’t, did they? So where did these things come from? These things came after man was tempted by Satan and their flesh became degenerate, such as the pain of the flesh, the troubles and emptiness of the flesh and the extreme wretchedness of the world. Satan began to torment man after it had corrupted them. Man then became more and more degenerate, the illnesses of man were deepened, and their suffering became more and more severe. Man felt more and more the emptiness, the tragedy and the inability to go on living of the world, and they felt less and less hope for the world. So this suffering was brought on man by Satan, and it only came after man had been corrupted by Satan and became degenerate.’ God’s words are very clear. Mankind, in the beginning, lived very happily and joyfully in the Garden of Eden and they didn’t have the suffering of birth, death, illness and old age. Since our forefathers, Adam and Eve, were tempted and corrupted and they disobeyed God’s words and betrayed Him, mankind had been living under the influence of Satan. They became more and more degenerate and corrupt, and the illnesses all result from Satan’s corruption. We depart from God and lose His care and protection, so we live under the influence of Satan and we are corrupted, trampled and fooled by Satan, living in sadness and pain.” After hearing the fellowship, Auntie learned that her suffering the torment of illness is totally because of Satan’s corruption and that only through worshiping God, can mankind rid himself of Satan’s corruption and trickery, and receive God’s care and protection.
Auntie saw another passage of God’s word, “Almighty God is an all-powerful physician! To dwell in sickness is to be sick, but to dwell in the spirit is to be well. If you have but one breath, God will not let you die.” God’s words, with authority and power, gave her confidence and courage to continue to survive. She understood that as long as she fervently prayed to God, relied on Him, and sincerely trusted Him, her illness would certainly be cured by Him. Afterward, she often read God’s words, prayed, attended meetings and sang hymns praising God together with her brothers and sisters, so that she enjoyed peace and joy she had never known before. Time went by and before she was aware of it her illness was eased slowly. She no longer lived in the torment of the illness and felt at ease and at peace in her heart.
One day, Auntie saw God’s words: “Born into such a filthy land, man has been severely blighted by society, he has been influenced by feudal ethics, and he has been taught at ‘institutes of higher learning.’ The backward thinking, corrupt morality, mean view on life, despicable philosophy, utterly worthless existence, and depraved lifestyle and customs—all of these things have severely intruded upon man’s heart, and severely undermined and attacked his conscience. As a result, man is ever more distant from God, and ever more opposed to Him.” Through these God’s words, Auntie realized: It turns out that I have been severely blighted and influenced by this dark and evil society and have accepted this wrong view on life, “If one doesn’t make efforts in his behavior, it’s difficult for him to gain wealth; as long as one can suffer, dirt can be turned into gold.” Thus, I believed that, as long as having money, I would have everything and I would live a happy and joyful life. She recalled that, during those years in the past, in order to make much money, she worked day and night, leaving her physical illnesses behind, and toiled all her life. Later, though her life was a little richer and she had accumulated some money, she was so insatiable as to continue picking out ores for making money. Finally, she totally ruined her health, bedridden, extremely pained, anxious and helpless. Meanwhile, she understood that living by Satan’s rules of living could only bring her the torment of the illness and the pain in her heart, without the slightest happiness and joy. The revelation of God’s words made her see clearly Satan’s evil and baseness and thus have the resolve to betray Satan and reject it.
During meetings, Auntie read a passage of God’s words, “After experiencing to a certain point, a person’s life views, significance of existence, and foundation of existence will completely transform. That is, you will be born again, and become a completely different person. This is incredible! This is a big transformation; it is a transformation that turns everything upside down. You will feel that fame, profit, position, wealth, pleasures, and glory of the world don’t matter and that you are able to effortlessly let go of them. This is a person in the likeness of a human being. Those who are ultimately made complete will be a group like this. They will live for truth, for God, and for righteousness. This is the likeness of a person.” After reading these God’s words, Auntie came to understand that if wanting to live out the likeness of a true man and living at peace and steadfast, liberated and free, she must change her own wrong outlooks on existence. Her pursuit of such things as money, fame, profit, position and fleshly pleasures could only make her life increasingly empty and painful. Contrarily, only coming before God, receiving His salvation, living according to His requirements, pursuing the truth to know Him, and spreading His gospel for more people to receive God’s salvation, are the righteous cause and in accord with God’s will. Such a life is meaningful. Thus, Auntie made a resolution in her heart: From now on I will no longer live by Satan’s rules of survival or make plans for my food and clothing and future, and instead, I will be content with the clothes on my back and the food on my plate, for living for money and flesh finally could only bring me eternal pain and sorrow. I’m willing to read more God’s words and attend more meetings to worship and praise God together with my brothers and sisters, pursue the truth properly, practice God’s words in everything, live according to God’s requirements, perform my duty as a created being, preach God’s gospel to more people who are truly seeking God and contribute my own tiny effort to His kingdom gospel. In this way, I can comfort God’s heart.
Afterward, Auntie bore witness to her husband, children and daughters-in-law about God’s kingdom gospel. They all accepted, because they saw that, after she believed in God, the condition of her body was a lot better than it had ever been, that she was more and more vigorous, and that she was a lot happier and no longer worked desperately to make money as before, so that the whole family could get along well with one another. Moreover, two relatives of hers also accepted the gospel. Auntie was so excited as to keep thanking God. From then on, she no longer urged her husband to do business, nor did she help her son plan how to earn money, nor did she rely on money to attain happiness. Contrarily, she obeyed everything God had arranged for her, lived her normal life and often urged them to pray to God, read His words and live the church life. When she let go of the old view on existence, her husband’s business was better than before and her son’s work also went well. She felt more and more relaxed, liberated, peaceful and joyful. Her heart was full of gratitude and praise for God. She is thankful for God’s love and salvation, which has guided her to walk upon the proper path of life. She has understood the meaning and value of man living. All the glory be to God!
