I want to encourage you, who read this experience, that our loving Father in heaven bless you richly as we approach the end of time.
My grandmother grew up in a Sabbath-keeping Church. Her parents were members of the same church in Romania, but when she grew up she didn’t want to follow Jesus in the truth and she left the church. Later on, she got married to someone who didn’t love Jesus. He had never heard about our church, so she chose to live without Jesus—trying to forget everything that she had learned while she was with her parents. She lived in the world—adopting the traditions and customs of the world. She changed a lot in a negative way. This was the time when my grandmother got married and gave birth to a son, who is my father. My mother told me that she had never known someone like my grandmother. She behaved so badly—giving a negative testimony about anyone who knows the faith (but obviously not living it). She lived a tumultuous life, full of trials. My grandmother had three children, two boys and one girl, and she had to go through many trials with them. In those times they had money but their life was unhappy.
My grandfather was a truck driver and most of his time he spent outside of the home. One day something terrible happened. He told me that one night while he was driving it was foggy, and on a curve there suddenly appeared right in front of his truck, a wagon without any light on it—so the accident was inevitable. The man in the wagon was killed in the accident and my grandfather was taken to prison. Although he was found “not guilty” he had to stay for a while in prison, and after that he had to pay a pension to the family who lost their father in this tragic accident. I can imagine it was something dreadful, terrible for my grandfather, because he had to go through all these trials.
I want to say that there never was a good relationship between my grandmother, grandfather and their children. Why? We know when somebody forsakes the Lord there is not a good expectation in life, because Jesus said that separate from Him you or I can do, how much? Nothing. Their children grew up in the world, got married and never wanted to know anything about the religion of Jesus. My grandmother finally turned to Jesus after so many years passed with her living in the world, although it was too late for her to influence her family for the Lord. Her husband died at only 66 years old. From her example, and her life, no one from her family wanted to hear about Jesus and her religion. In this time my mother became a member of the church, receiving Jesus as her personal Saviour. My grandfather never had respect for her faith or Jesus. Although he died at only 66, he didn’t want to accept Jesus as his personal Saviour even when he was dying. For him, God didn’t exist. I remember he died in the hospital when I was 14 years old. He died unexpectedly, for he appeared to be a tall and healthy man. I remember I went to the hospital with my mother to visit him just prior his death. My mother tried to present Jesus to him—she was telling him how much Jesus suffered for us in order to give us the possibility to be saved. I don’t know if he received Jesus then; only God knows. But what I want to say with this experience is, if only my grandmother would have remained faithful to the Lord her whole life I believe my grandfather would have changed and maybe he would have become a Christian. Thus, their whole family could have known salvation in Christ. Without Jesus, our Redeemer, there is no happiness, nor is there true, complete life—that is why I encourage you, brethren, to follow Jesus. I strongly encourage all mothers and fathers to do your duty before God and be responsible for your children, bringing them to Jesus daily in prayer, that they may have joy and happiness serving Him from now on, until He comes again. To forsake Jesus is not the solution; only with Jesus can we be overcomers. Our Lord Jesus says in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” And in 1 John 5: 2, 4: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the worldth and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”
I wish you God’s blessings.
In Christ, Alina Anca