“I’m so happy that Jesus saved me”

Dear friend,

Sometimes The Holy Spirit unexpectedly reminds me of things that I have not considered in years and one memory that he has brought to mind is a certain lady and a church service in the late ‘50’s.
In my childhood village, we had two chapels; one in the north and one in the south; each belonging to different denominations. The village people were not too concerned about denominations, so they divided their churchgoings equally between the chapels. I went to Sunday school in the chapel in the south and attended church services in the Mission House in the north. From time to time, in the Mission House there would be “revival gatherings” with “traveling pastors”, also known as evangelists.

Sometimes the pastor would invite people to come to the platform and testify about what Jesus had done in their lives. The small congregation consisting of farmers and people working in the woods or in the factory, would be rather shy. You could ask them to do almost anything, and sometimes they could do even the impossible. Nevertheless, to walk up to the platform—well, such spontaneous invitations could cause the congregation to look like a wheat field in a storm. Everybody was looking at each other; pushing an elbow in the side of the neighbor sitting next to them, attempting to encourage him or her to step forward to that intimidating platform.

Of course, they could all testify about God’s grace and mercy; like when the cows had fallen ill or when the frost almost ruined all the harvest or when one man drove his tractor into the river and almost drowned or when a farmer’s wife got cancer and lived with it until old age! Oh, how God provided for them in all circumstances and how they could thank God every evening for yet another day in his care. But that platform--that was a scary place! For those country people, the pastor was welcome to have it all by himself!

However, on this particular winter’s night, there was this little lady in the chapel. If nobody else would step forward, you could always count on her. She had a slim figure; grey hair held up with combs that were in fashion during the ‘40’s and in the winter she was always dressed in a black coat and a tiny black hat and a black handbag firmly held on her left arm. In the summer, she wore a lighter version of the same outfit. She lived in her own house together with her son who was almost deaf because of a sickness in his childhood. I do not recall what she did for a living but I think she was a seamstress. I do not know anything about her life except that she was a widow and that she had always been a faithful member of the Mission House.

Every time this lady stepped up onto the platform, you could be sure to hear these words in her testimony: “I’m so happy that Jesus saved me” and tears would roll down her cheeks. First, she would tell about how grateful she was that Jesus had forgiven all her sins; and then she would tell about how Jesus had helped her during the years gone by. She was confident that He would also carry her through the years she had left. When she told her stories about God’s grace in her life, it brought tears to the congregation as well since they could relate to her testimony in their own lives.

Her appearance might have been plain and fragile, but in her testimony, she was impressively strong. Today I think there are very few left who remember her, but her testimony stayed with this ten-year old girl and I would still remember it some 50 years later.

At one time, I heard somebody say about this lady: “You always know what she will say so it’s nothing new.” Maybe that person might have wanted something new, but as a child, I did not reflect much on it. However, years later, I have now come to think of the stunning fact that it is a message told for thousands of years. It is an eternal, never-ending truth from the beginning of time. It is salvation through Jesus Christ and it is still working! Isn’t that amazing?!

It still works whether or not you are rich or poor, whether you have a long impressive title or have never had a title in your life, whether you are considered a pillar of society or have reached the bottom of society. It is not about you but God’s eternal love for you. People can still be saved and their lives changed. Jesus will never be out-of-date. Jesus is the quintessence of the love letter from God to you and me; and that is we are saved by grace and we have the right to be happy about it!

The picture in this article is a picture of a painting that was hanging in the Mission House and whenever I come across that picture it reminds me of the church services in my childhood.

Sincerely yours,
Ida