A blessing when I least expected it!

This is a story about what happened to us a couple of years ago in China.

After completing breast cancer surgery (six months of chemo and three months of radiotherapy), we celebrated with a trip to China.

First time without a wig … first time venturing out of the safety of doctors and a cancer world.

How wonderful to be on a Beijing tour – just us, our guide and our driver. We quickly learned not to say anything unless you are outside and away from drivers. Our guide, a young man in his twenties, was keen to learn about us (as we were him), and we soon built a friendship.

He asked, ‘What do you do?’

Oh, gosh, do I say I work in a church … say I am a Christian … say I’ve had cancer? Or do I just lie to keep things easy? Well, I said the first two, so imagine my overwhelming surprise when he said his mum was an intellectual who had been sent to farms as a worker during the cultural revolution where she learnt about Jesus from the underground church.

What courage that took for him to share!

We were suddenly family, and we talked and talked. Never did I say what I had just been through as we were too keen to talk about his family and how Jesus had saved them.

And imagine, here in Australia, we keep quiet, often not sure of what to say or how to approach people. We all have barriers and roadblocks that stop us from speaking, but you know we can still say hello or smile, even though our hearts may be broken. You may be surprised at the blessings you receive in return.

And just to let you know, when he dropped us back at our hotel, he said to me, ‘You are beautiful on the inside and out!’

Who received more?

Just when I felt broken and ugly, he said the words that made my heart burst. God blessed us and freed us both at that moment. We’ve never spoken again, but I will never forget.

So, take the challenge, say hello to someone, ask how they are. You may be overwhelmed with blessings.

Barb Mattiske is from Glynde Zion in SA.