Recovered

I was born in 1945 to parents that had survived the eight year WWII in China.  They did not have any knowledge of God or the Bible, and were in fact, atheists. Our family moved to Taiwan in 1949, and eight years later, my mother divorced my father, leaving him with three children. My life was a battleground between my parents, and with my mind filled with condemnation, I became clinically depressed.  When I moved to the United States to pursue higher education (MS in organic chemistry from Ohio State University), I still did not find peace of mind and happiness.  I even searched the Scriptures and tried to find God in different denominations for nine years, to no avail.

In 1972, I met believers in the church in Philadelphia, and for the first time in my life, I had a sense of belonging. I started to understand the Scriptures for the first time and to experience the Spirit in every word (John 1:1 “The Word was God”). I learned how to use and exercise my human spirit. I replaced all the condemnation and questions in my mind with God’s Word. The ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee helped me to come to the Bible with an objective attitude, drop all my preconceived notions, and receive revelation directly from God’s Word. I even found healing from my 30-year struggle with depression with minimum professional help. When my mind was filled with earthly concerns, I was depressed.  But when my mind is filled with God’s Word and I am surrendering to Him, I am happy and healthy!

The church life has given me a healthy community to interact in– by paying attention to people, loving others, and being concerned with them, these positive involvements with people have helped to lift me out of my depression.  The cloud of witnesses referred to in Hebrews 12:1 is cheering me on in my Christian race. I am running the race every day!

J.M.P.