GRACED AND GRACIOUS Christiana Tsai, one of twenty siblings, was born to a Chinese ruling family during the Manchu dynasty. She enjoyed a good education, personal servants, and an isolated life, almost never venturing outside the walls of her familys place. But Christianas father, despite Buddhist convictions, wanted Christiana to attend a Christian school run by missionaries from America. Just be sure you dont eat Christianity! he said, meaning he didnt want his children converting to the foreign religion. At boarding school, however, Christiana heard the Gospel and was drawn to Jesus Christ. Her conversion shocked her family. A servant was dispatched to bring her home. On the boat, he gave her a rope and a knife. You have disgraced you family by eating the Christian religion, he told her, warning that if she did not renounce her faith, she would have to choose between this rope to hang yourself, this knife to stab yourself, or this canal to drown yourself. The girl, however, bore the wrath of her family, who treated her like a dog, even tearing her Bible and hymnbook to pieces. She was threatened, punished, rejected, ridiculed, and treated with contempt by the servants. But, Christiana later wrote, I did not argue; I only prayed for wisdom, and God gave me grace. One day one of her brothers said to her, Tell me about Christianity and why you became a Christian. When Christiana told him, he replied, That was a remarkable experience. I have noticed that in spite of the way we treat you now, you seem much happier than you used to be. I think I would like to believe, too. In the course of time, fifty-five relatives received Jesus, including the brother who had torn up her Bible and hymnbook. Christiana Tsai found the secret of conveying to other the grace she herself had received, and it was her gracious spirit that drew her family to Christ like a magnet. Sometimes the grace weve received doesnt flow freely into the live of others--sometimes it becomes trapped by bitterness or distractions. But when we look to Jesus as our example, when we determine to surrender to the Lord and show grave to those who persecute us, grace doubles in our hearts and flows, unencumbered, into the hearts of those around us.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:41:08 +0000
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