A Stir Linked to Succession

By Yingxin

My father-in-law had served as a pastor since 1949. The national law allowed him to ask his son to take over. The successor would be the national teacher, equivalent to national cadre, and would enjoy the provision of national treatment. My husband and his young brother all wanted to take over. Then a stir linked to succession quietly staged.

Competing or Not

One day, my husband returned home and said that my parents-in-law wanted to hand over the position to his brother. Upon hearing this, I was so angry at them, complaining about their partiality. I thought, “Everyone knows that position is superb and a job with almost guaranteed lifetime employment. I won’t surrender it willingly. And I will try my best to compete for it. At least, it will be decided by lottery.” My husband kept silent. I couldn’t restrain my anger, and said, “Your parents are so biased, aren’t they? You and your brother are all their sons. Why do they give it to your brother? Arguably, they should give it to you, the eldest son. Giving it up will be a huge loss.”

My husband looked helpless and said, “Just let it go. My parents already spent several days convincing me. It would be useless even if we compete for it. Besides, you know what my father is like. Nothing can change his decision.”

What he said increased my anger. I rebuked him and encouraged him to fight for the position. Listening to my words, he said nothing with a bowed head. Seeing that he was in pain and helplessness, I knew it was not easy for him. But I still felt annoyed, and my heart struggled if I just gave up. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was a believer in the Lord, and the Lord asked us to love others as ourselves, to be humble, tolerant and patient. If I fought for the succession, wasn’t I humiliating the Lord? Thinking of this, I gained some peace. But actually, I still couldn’t let it go. I clearly knew that if I competed for it, the two brothers would turn against each other, and that would be quite hurtful for them. But I was unwilling to just quit it easily. Just like this, for the following days, I had no appetite and was sleepless at night. I felt bloody, miserable and suffocated.

In misery, I came before the Lord and sought His will, asking Him to guide me out of the pain.

Having a Path to Practice After Seeking

One day, I read several scriptures, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12). My heart was enlightened by these verses. The Lord wanted us to be light and salt, to have good behaviors to glorify God, to illuminate others. Besides, we were strangers and pilgrims in the world, so we should not be preoccupied with interests of the flesh and fight against each other. Believers in the Lord should have good conduct, obey the Lord’s teachings when encountering things, forsake our own interests, and do nothing to humiliate God. In this way, our behaviors will convince our families, so that they will also praise the Lord and return to Him. After figuring out the Lord’s will and requirement, I felt so ashamed, and was caught up in contemplation: After knowing my parents-in-law wanted to give such great privilege to my husband’s brother, I began to keep complaining against them, and said they were biased; I clearly knew the Lord taught us to love others like ourselves, but it was still hard for me to hold it back. Didn’t I only want to take advantage but lose nothing? How selfless was I? I only cared about interests and ignored family affection, causing my husband and I to live in pain. Where was my likeness as a Christian? After learning the Lord’s will, I was willing to put aside my own interests, and practice the Lord’s words to glorify Him. I felt so relieved when I decided to give up competing with my brother.

The Joy of Practicing According to the Lord’s Will

One night, my father-in-law came to our house with our cousin. They were going to persuade us. The Lord’s words guided me in my heart, and I decided to be light and salt to practice the Lord’s requirement, letting my family and unbelievers admire me, so that the Lord’s name would be glorified. So I calmly said to them, “We agree that our brother takes over the position. And we are not going to compete for it.” The moment I said, “We are not going to compete for it,” they looked so surprised and had eye contact. After a while, my cousin finally reacted and said to me with a smile, “I know you believe in the Lord, that is why you are a reasonable person and don’t compete with others. That is the merit of believers in God.” My father-in-law followed, “I am glad you think like way. In our village, there are three brothers who fought badly over their father’s job. I never expected that you agree with that so easily. I feel so pleased.” Looking at their happiness, I was also glad and peaceful.

Later, my parents-in-law talked about my advantages to everyone, and said I was a good daughter-in-law. Our brother also said that believers in God were so good and reasonable, and that it was hard for unbelievers to achieve that. I knew I was not good as they said; this was the good result that the Lord’s words achieved in me. His words enabled me to forsake my own interests and stop fighting for the job. I thanked the Lord for His guidance from my heart. Meanwhile, I experienced that when I behaved myself according to the Lord’s requirement, He blessed me with spiritual enjoyment; this couldn’t be gotten in exchange for any amount of money. Afterward, I also encountered other things that involved my interests. Although I still wanted to satisfy my selfish desires, I would put the Lord’s words into practice when I was reminded of His words, to glory the Lord’s name. Practicing this way enabled me to feel so relaxed, relieved, peaceful and joyful.