 They say “No Pain, No Gain”. I never used to understand that phrase. Probably because of all the pain I had in my heart. As a child, life was full of problems, it hurt inside. I grew up in a messed up family, my dad was an alcoholic. I had two other siblings. Whenever my dad drank he would beat my mom. So my mom decided to leave and go work abroad.
I was almost finished with elementary school when my mom left. It was hard. I didn’t know where we would start, because my father was continuously drinking and gambling. He left us with my grandmother and I thought everything would be okay, but I hadn’t even finished high-school before my grandmother took us out to the province. My grandmother was very angry at my father and took her anger out on us. She hid our mom’s letters addressed to us before letting us read them. She let us go hungry. When my mom would send money for us, she wouldn’t give it to us. At a very young age I started to work, even while going to school.
That was when I met a boy. He was very nice to me; he helped me whenever I needed it. We became very good friends, and we even came to know the Lord at the same time. We became workers of a church and before long, he became my husband.
I was happily married. With the grace of God I was able to help mend the broken family that I had grown up in. We were very happy together and our joy was increased when the Lord blessed us with a baby boy, and we named him JM. Our family was together for 3 years, and we were all happy members of a church.
Christmas was fast approaching, and everyone was busy buying gifts and cooking food. I woke up one day to find the man who loved me, who gave me attention, the man who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with... dead. I didn’t know where to start. There were so many questions in my mind. I turned away from God. I tried to find strength in drinking day and night.
One day Frontline came to our barangay and did an outreach. I paid no attention to them until I found out that they were doing a Bible study at my neighbor’s house. They were always inviting me to attend but I forced myself to stay away, until I realized that I was tired from turning away. I tried going back to God. with the people who loved me. I told the Lord that I wanted to serve Him . I found joy and peace in Him and in the people that He used-- the Frontline team. They have become a big part of my family’s life. They became my “real” family, and brothers and sisters in Christ. I have been serving the Lord for 5 years now and He has blessed me with an good life.
“No Pain, No Gain.” God allows challenges and even pain to enter our lives. Through His promises, he helps us in very real ways. There is a season to mourn. The world is unpredictable and sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. But I learned that our response to times of trouble should be to stand firm. No matter the circumstances are, we can put our trust in Jesus, and He gives us a season to begin again. |
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