Salt Of The Earth I

Last year, I learnt the sad news that two persons I knew had been diagnosed with the stage 4 of lung cancer: One was SA, my colleague; The other was Marten, the worship leader of the BM service.

SA was among the first Chinese colleagues I had known when I started working on this campus. I joined her and GK a few times for lunch at a Chinese restaurant during the first weeks. Later, I hardly went out with them because their meal time was too early for me. As I taught a different subject from SA and that our offices were in different blocks, I did not meet her very often either. When I walked past her office, I dropped in occasionally to chat with her. She was a caring senior who always gave me advice on my career development.

Several days after SA's absence in September only I was told by KC about her illness and medical leave. My first reaction was "Why lung cancer?". SA never smoked; She worked in a non-smoking environment; She was always careful of what she ate; She practised "Tai Chi"; Her husband was a doctor. Thousands of reasons would have dissuaded me from believing that her lungs were the battlefield of her cancer cells.

Colleagues who were quite close to SA collected money to buy food supplement for her. They also arranged a date to visit her together. I was having classes when they left for her house, thus could not go with them. The next morning, I called her but nobody answered. The following week I had a trip abroad.

After I had come back to Melaka, I contacted SA again. As she went out quite often either for medical consultation or other matters, I had to call her just before I went to her house to make sure that she was around.

That was the first time I drove to her house. She had been getting traditional medicine treatment all this while. She looked well though thinner.

We held a casual conversation. I tried to cheer her up by encouraging her to keep her thinking positive.

"You've grown up," She said to me,"And are getting prettier."

"Since the Lord Jesus has been living in my heart. I used to be very hot-tempered but now I'm much less. I think that's why more joy and peace are reflecting on my face."

Then I briefly told her about my disputes with Mum after Dad's passing, and how my relationship with her had improved tremendously since I had learnt to listen to God.

"Spend more time with your mother," SA added.

"I do, because I don't want to have any regrets in the future." I answered,"And now I also know that I have a Father God who loves me."

"I won't become a Christian. But anyway, you're a good Christian." I was planning to leave when SA gave her comment.

All the glory to my Lord who had transformed me. I responded to her with a smile.

"Never mind. Come, let me pray for you," SA let my hands hold hers. Our heads were down and our eyes were close. My prayer in Mandarin was simple. I asked that the Lord opened SA's heart to know Him, to believe that she also had the same Father God who loved her and that she could receive healing from His beloved Son Jesus Christ who had conquered the death.

Was SA receptive to my prayer?