By Li Ming
A Sudden Disease Threw the Whole Family Into Pain and Helplessness
In the spring of 2014, Mu Qing’s son, Xiaoguang, got sick suddenly. He had always been strong and hale, but suddenly got lots of bumps all over his body and hard calluses on his hands and feet, and his nails started to go black. And he was in unbearable pain. To treat his disease, Mu Qing rushed about visiting doctors in all the hospitals in their city, but none of the doctors could figure out what disease her son had contracted. Later, she took her son to the provincial hospital for examinations. After several consultations with the specialists, Xiaoguang was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome.
The doctor told Mu Qing that this kind of disease was difficult to cure, because the victims couldn’t take Western medicine as it could harm their liver and heart; moreover, the victims couldn’t produce enough normal blood and if the condition got worse, the disease would deteriorate into leukemia. Hearing this, Mu Qing felt dizzy all of a sudden, and had a worrying thought, “My son is so young. If something untoward happens to him, how can our family go on living?”
Xiaoguang was in the hospital for about twenty days, which cost over twenty thousand yuan. Unable to afford the expensive treatment, Xiaoguang had to leave the hospital and have medicine and injections at home, and only go to the hospital for an examination every second week. After a period of time, seeing that his illness wasn’t getting any better, Mu Qing worried that his treatment would be delayed. She thought, “Even if I use up all my assets, I will get my son treated in a big hospital.” Thereupon, she soon sold all of their valuable things, including the ox used to plow their fields, and managed to get over twenty thousand yuan. Then she asked her daughter-in-law to take Xiaoguang to see the foreign hematology specialists at the Tianjin Academy of Science.
During his treatment in Tianjin, Mu Qing was at home, restlessly and anxiously waiting for their call every day. She constantly had worried thoughts, like, “He has visited so many doctors, but none of them can cure his disease. Can his disease be cured this time?” She waited and waited and finally her daughter-in-law came back home, but she was shocked to hear a piece of bad news: Her daughter-in-law said, “After examinations by the specialists, Xiaoguang was diagnosed as having a terminal disease. His white blood cell count has nearly dropped to 1, so he’s in grave danger. If he keeps in a good mood, he might have two months to live. The doctor advised us to leave the hospital, but Xiaoguang insisted on going to Beijing for treatment. So I came back home, hoping you can persuade him to come back.”
The sudden bad news made Mu Qing feel as if the sky had fallen. She was in great anguish, as she never expected that her son, always strong and hale, would actually get a terminal disease. “Xiaoguang is the backbone of our family. I’m old, and if something untoward happens to him, whom can I depend on in the future? My grandson and granddaughter are still in college and need money. Without him, how could they finish their studies? And how about my daughter-in-law? She is still young. Will she leave him?” The more she thought like this, the more distressed she felt, and her tears kept falling down her face. At this point, she was burning with anxiety, desperate to see her sick son at once.
Her Daughter-in-law Left Home With the Money for the Treatment, Leaving Mu Qing and Her Son in Despair
Just when her agony and helplessness was at its worst, Mu Qing suddenly remembered that she was a believer in God, and that in all matters she should pray to, seek and rely on God. So, she immediately knelt down and prayed to God, “God, my son has contracted a terminal disease, and has at most two months to live. I feel very distressed, and don’t know what to do. O God, our lives are controlled by You, and I’m willing to entrust his disease to Your hands. No matter whether he lives or dies, I’m willing to obey You.” After prayer, she felt a bit calmer. That night, however, Mu Qing was tossing and turning in bed, thinking, “Since my son has only two months to live, I have to bring him back as soon as possible, so that I can be with him through the days that are left.”
The next day, when dawn was just breaking, Mu Qing hurriedly went to the hospital. On seeing her son lying on the sickbed, weak and pale, Mu Qing felt both saddened and fearful. She worried that she would lose him, and in that case the whole family would break up and she herself wouldn’t be able to live on. When thinking about this, Mu Qing could no longer control her emotions, and the tears started rolling down her face. Thinking that Xiaoguang still didn’t know he had contracted a terminal disease, she ran outside and wiped her tears secretly lest Xiaoguang catch her crying. After controlling her emotions, Mu Qing picked herself up and entered the ward calmly. She sat beside Xiaoguang, touched his head softly, and held his hands, saying, “Xiaoguang, we don’t have enough money for treatment. Let’s go back home first. When we have gotten enough money, then we’ll go to Beijing to see the doctor. Okay?” After she said this, Xiaoguang turned his face away, without saying a word. Obviously, he was unwilling to return home. Seeing this, Mu Qing felt great anguish and was at a loss about what to do. Having no choice, she continued to try to persuade her son, “It is expensive to treat the illness in a big hospital and now we don’t have enough money, so even if we went, it would be useless.” Well aware of their situation, he finally nodded and said, “Okay. Let’s go back home.”
When they came back home, reality gave them another heavy blow: Her daughter-in-law had taken all the money for Xiaoguang’s treatment and left them. This heartless behavior aggravated Mu Qing’s suffering, throwing her into despair. And the tortures of illness, coupled with his wife’s betrayal, made Xiaoguang completely fall apart. He lay on the bed, as if he had been suffocated, and thought that he didn’t have any hope of survival.
After Tasting the Sweetness of Relying on God, Mu Qing Felt Comforted Within
In pain and despair, Mu Qing thought, “Though I have no money for his treatment in hospital, I can’t just see him wait for death and do nothing. All things are created by God. All kinds of plants have their own uses and many of them are precious medicinal materials. Maybe they can cure his disease.” Then she found a book about curing different kinds of rare illnesses, and so quickly searched it for a remedy for his disease. With an attitude of anything was worth a try, she found seven or eight medicinal materials—such as reed rhizome, hairy beggarticks, and dandelions, and so forth—decocted them together, and then asked her son to drink the medicine. However, due to his wife’s leaving, Xiaoguang was immensely sad, and was neither eating nor drinking. He despondently said to Mu Qing, “What’s the point of living? You are old, so how can you get money to cure my disease? You may as well let me die!” Seeing him like this, Mu Qing felt even more saddened. She thought, “He is very weak; if he goes on like this, his condition will get worse.” But in the face of the situation, she couldn’t do anything. In pain, she constantly prayed to God, “O God, seeing my son like this, I feel pained and worried but can’t do anything. O God, You are the almighty and one true God as well as the all-powerful physician. My son’s life and death are determined by You. O God, please protect my heart, so that I can obey Your sovereignty and arrangements.”
After prayer, Mu Qing remembered a passage of God’s words and wanted to read it to Xiaoguang. Although he didn’t believe in God, he was also a creature in God’s hands. Mu Qing hoped Xiaoguang could understand that God rules over all things and that all people’s lives are in God’s hands. She thought that maybe after hearing God’s words, he would feel better and have something to rely on. Thereupon, Mu Qing read God’s words to him, “Almighty God, the Head of all things, wields His kingly power from His throne. He rules over the universe and all things and He is guiding us on the whole earth. We shall often be close to Him, and come before Him in quietness; never shall we miss a single moment, and there are things to learn at all times. The environment around us as well as the people, matters and objects, all are permitted by His throne. Do not have a complaining heart, or God will not bestow His grace upon you. When sickness happens it is due to God’s love, and His good intentions are surely behind it. Even when your body endures suffering, take no ideas from Satan. Praise God in the midst of illness and enjoy God in the midst of your praise. Do not lose heart in the face of illness, keep seeking and never give up, and God shall shine His light on you. How faithful was Job? 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.”
After reading God’s words, Mu Qing felt brighter: “That’s right! I believe in the almighty and one true God. He rules over and controls all things, so isn’t it also in God’s hands whether my son’s disease can be cured? Everything is in God’s hands, and my son’s life and death are decided by God. Without God’s permission, my son won’t die even if he has only one breath left.” God’s words gave Mu Qing faith. Then she said to her son, “The life of each of us is in God’s hands. Satan brings illnesses upon us while God comes to save us. God is an all-powerful physician, and no matter how serious the illness is, it’s still in God’s hands. So long as we rely on God with a true heart, God won’t let us die, even if we only have one breath left.” Through her sincere fellowshiping, Xiaoguang seemed to understand something and then asked her, “Can God really cure my disease?” Mu Qing replied earnestly, “God is an all-powerful physician. So as long as we truly believe in Him, He will lead and protect us. But as human beings, we must have obedient hearts, and no matter whether the disease can be cured, we should hand our lives over to God’s hands and put ourselves at His mercy without any complaints.” Having understood this, Xiaoguang started to drink the medicine and have meals. Seeing his change, Mu Qing knew that this was God’s deeds and kept thanking God from her heart.
Under the Guidance of God’s Words, Her Son Recovered From the Illness and Returned to God
One day, one of Xiaoguang’s classmates recommended a hospital which specialized in treating different kinds of rare illnesses. This seemed like a thread of hope to Mu Qing and she hastened to take Xiaoguang to the hospital. After seeing the report of his tests, the doctor said, “I’m unable to cure the disease. I don’t want to take the responsibility, because his white blood cell count is too low.” Then he recommended a doctor in another county to Mu Qing, saying, “If that doctor takes your son, it means that he can cure your son; if not …” Hearing his words, Mu Qing saw darkness before her eyes and felt entirely desperate. She thought, “I thought that the doctor could cure my son, but he actually can’t. Could it be that my son’s disease is incurable?” At that moment, it hit Mu Qing that God was her only rock; all she could do was entrust her son to God’s hands. Besides, she remembered that when the Lord Jesus worked, He manifested many miracles, such as making the blind see, the lame walk, and Lazarus rise from the dead, and so forth. She also thought of God’s words, “Almighty God is an all-powerful physician!” Mu Qing clearly knew that it was God who was guiding her and telling her not to feel disappointed but to have faith in Him. Because nothing is difficult for God. Realizing this, she was willing to entrust her son’s disease to God’s hands and pursue to know God’s deeds throughout.
So Mu Qing continued to decoct the medicinal herbs for Xiaoguang every day. She often prayed to God for His help. In order to help her son face the illness courageously, she often read God’s words and sang hymns to him. Once, Mu Qing saw a certain passage of God’s words and read it to Xiaoguang, “When the waters swallow men whole, I save them from the stagnant waters and give them a chance to have life anew. When men lose their confidence to live, I pull them up from the brink of death, granting them the courage to live, that they take Me as the foundation of their existence. When men disobey Me, I cause them to know Me in their disobedience. In light of humanity’s old nature and in light of My mercy, rather than putting humans to death, I allow them to repent and make a fresh start. When men suffer famine, I wrest them from death so long as they have one breath left, preventing them from falling prey to Satan’s trickery.” After reading God’s words, Mu Qing said to Xiaoguang, “Your wife has left our home and I know you feel bitter inside. But just as the saying goes, ‘Heaven always provides a way.’ God is the God who loves mankind, and He deeply knows our actual difficulties. So long as we depend on Him and come before Him, He will care for and protect us and open a way out for us. Now we are in dire straits, but as long as we sincerely look up to God, He will extend a helping hand and save us.” Hearing this, Xiaoguang nodded silently.
As Mu Qing continuously read God’s words to Xiaoguang, his condition got a bit better. The bumps on his skin got fewer and fewer, and the hard calluses on his hands started to fall off. In addition, his hands and feet were not as stiff as before, and his black nails gradually got normal.
After a while, Xiaoguang went to the hospital for a reexamination. After coming back home, he was delirious with joy and told Mu Qing, “The doctor said I look like a normal person, and said it was really a miracle that I could recover from such a serious illness so quickly. Our God really can create miracles! In the past, the doctor said that I would at most have two months to live, but now I’ve actually survived it. It’s really God who has saved my life!” Hearing him say this, Mu Qing was full of gratitude to God. At that time, people around them also said, “Xiaoguang’s disease was so serious and couldn’t be cured even in big hospitals, but now it actually has been cured, and so quickly!” “Xiaoguang recovered from the disease so quickly because heaven helped him!” “Xiaoguang’s mother believes in God. It’s her God who has helped him.” After seeing God’s wonderful deeds in this matter, Xiaoguang also accepted God’s work of the last days and started to live a church life.
From This Experience, Mu Qing Gained a Lot and Came to Know God’s Authority and Sovereignty
Afterward, Mu Qing read a passage of the word of God, “It is not humanity that holds the power of life and death, not some being in the natural world, but the Creator, whose authority is unique. Mankind’s life and death are not the product of some law of the natural world, but a consequence of the sovereignty of the Creator’s authority.”
From God’s words and this unusual experience, Mu Qing had a real appreciation and understanding of the fact that the Creator rules over everyone’s life. She truly tasted that it is not humanity that holds the power of life and death, not the doctors, but God Himself who rules over all living beings. When she learned that her son had a terminal disease, and might only have two months to live, she lost her faith for a while. But it was the guidance of God’s words that gave her confidence and strength, as well as the knowledge that life and death are decided by God and that life is controlled by God. She appreciated that God’s life force is extraordinary and can’t be transcended by any created or non-created being. It was due to the support of God’s life force that Xiaoguang was able to survive miraculously. Just as God’s words say, “Man’s life originates from God, the existence of the heaven is because of God, and the existence of the earth stems from the power of God’s life. No object possessed of vitality can transcend the sovereignty of God, and no thing with vigor can break away from the ambit of God’s authority.” It was God who gave Xiaoguang a second life. Mu Qing deeply felt that only God is by our side accompanying us, helping, caring for and protecting us at all times. When Xiaoguang was suffering the pain of his illness and his wife’s leaving, as a mother, Mu Qing could only give a bit of care and comfort, but was unable to relieve his pain, much less to give him the strength to pull himself together. It is God who cares for and takes pity on every human being He created. When Mu Qing and Xiaoguang relied on God sincerely, although Xiaoguang didn’t believe in God before, he still gained God’s selfless pity and grace, and the disease was cured miraculously.
Through this experience, Mu Qing appreciated that God’s words have authority and power, and can create the miracle of life. This trial gave her a deeper understanding of God’s authority and power, and even more increased her faith in God. So she made up her mind: Whatever happens to her in the future, she will be willing to depend on God. All glory be to God!
