Vera

Many people in China believe God is a tyrant or a dictator. He tells us what to do and if we fail, he will be angry with us. God is the ruler, and we do what he says to do.

“I don’t understand why American’s believe in the Bible and in God. I have a friend, who told me that God is the truth, but in my mind truth is reality and I can’t see God so I can’t believe in Him. I studied about religions in school. In my book, there is logic, but in the Bible there is not logic. So I want to know why do so many Americans believe in God, if they cannot see him?”

This question was asked of me earlier this week by Vera, a girl who is a “free thinker” in China. Vera is one of our good friends who works at Starbucks and we get to have many thought provoking conversations with her.

I thought for a moment and answered this question, “I believe in God because I have faith in Him. From what I understand about the Bible, God is so much like a father who loves me and cares about me. He wants the best for me. I am who I am because I know he loves me.” She said, “So you believe God because He knows your life, but he doesn’t change your life?” I said, “Oh no, He changes my life all the time. Some bad things happen in my life, and also some good things. When bad things happen, maybe I will be sad right then, but I know God is working in my life and some good can come from a bad situation.”

Vera said, “Oh I think I can understand. Like, if you break your arm then you will be very sad and hurt. But then after you break your arm your friends and family care for you. And you realize you have so many people who love and care for you in your life.” I said, “That’s exactly what I mean. If something like that happens, I am so thankful to God for those things and people.”

She said, “Many people who believe in Buddha believe in him because they want to get more things. So if you believe in Buddha, you will get good things and he will solve your problems. So is it the same as you believe in God?”

“I believe in God because I have faith in Him. Yes, he blesses me with things, but that is not the reason I believe in him. God wants to have a relationship with me.” I asked, “If every time I saw you, I asked for your help and always needed something from you, do you think we would have a good relationship?” She shook her head no. I said, “It is much like that with God. He wants us to have that loving relationship with Him. So many times I just talk to Him about what is going on in my life. And I grow closer to Him.”

“If I am not a Christian, can I read the Bible?”

“Yes! Anyone can read the Bible.”

“So when I read the Bible, will God be angry because I am not a Christian?”

“Ohhhhh, no… He will be happy! He will be so happy because you are learning about Him!”

“Really? Ok…so…I can read some bibles… Maybe I can read with some people who know a lot of the Bible. But (long pause) I am afraid their minds will have some influence on me.”

“Yeah, I think you are a very smart girl and you like to think for yourself.”

“But maybe I don’t understand some things about the culture, so maybe I need to ask some questions to some people.”

“You know, I have some questions about the Bible even though I am a Christian. But I still have faith in God. I don’t doubt Him. But when I do have a question, maybe I will ask Stan or one of my friends and then we will study it together. No one knows all of the answers; we just study together to try to find the best answer. Vera, I want you to feel comfortable to come ask me a question, but I also want you to know I don’t have all the answers.”

“Ok, so maybe next time I read the Bible, I can ask you some questions.”

Then Stan explained how we like to discover what the Bible says together and how we all learn from each other. Because Vera expressed concern about being influenced by others, she seemed to appreciate this style of bible learning. Then Stan briefly discussed that reading is not the only thing he does as a Christian, but he enjoys doing what he has learned.

“So sharing with each other and you can be smarter and happy!”

Our friend, Milissa was involved in the conversation, but came in a little late. Many times when Vera didn’t understand my English, Milissa would act as a translator to Vera, adding to the conversation.

I mentioned at the beginning Vera holding a recipe book she was going to read. We had a long conversation about God and the Bible, and she never opened that recipe book. She came up after her shift was over and left when we left. She’s seeking.

Requests: Pray God gives us the wisdom to help her discover Him for herself.
Pray she is a person of peace. (Don’t know what a Person of Peace is? Find it here in Stan’s blog titled “Any Comments? Part 2/2”.)
Pray that we will not influence her, but that He will influence her through the Word.
Pray that Milissa and Vera will share this with friends, family, and co-workers.