Willing to Bleed
She stood outside the doorway of the church intrigued by
the love and joy displayed by those inside. The American
missionary had asked her to come in, but she had politely
declined. It wasn't because she didn't want to accept the
kind of offer. Quite the opposite; her heart was beckoning
her to join in their singing and worship. They seemed so
happy, and the fellowship was so spontaneous and natural.
But this was a hostile area in the Philippines, and her
father had strictly forbidden her to have anything to do
with those Christians.
Unknown to the little Filipino girl, the missionary was
praying fervently for her soul, longing to see the day when
she would accompany her inside the village church and learn
of Jesus and how He shed His blood on a cross so that her
sins could be washed away. The girl knew something was
happening because each week she found it harder and harder
to say no to the missionary.
Finally one Sunday morning, she accepted. She accepted the
invitation to attend the Sunday school class, but also
opened her heart to Jesus and became a child of God. The
missionary, overjoyed with the new believer, soon presented
her with a beautiful white dress, representing the fact that
Jesus had washed all her sins away.
Eager to see her new disciple the missionary rushed to the
next service. But the girl was nowhere to be found. No one
had seen or heard of her whereabouts. Concerned for the
girl, the missionary traveled to her home village.
Upon arriving at her home, she found the young, new believer
lying in the dirt. Her white dress was torn, filthy, and
soaked in blood. The girl's father hadn't shared the
missionary's joy in his daughter's newfound faith. In a
drunken rage he had beaten her, repeatedly kicked her, and
left her to die.
The missionary gently lifted the fragile girl and carried
her back to the church where a doctor rushed in to help her.
But there was nothing he could do. He removed the ragged
dress and cleaned her up, but her injuries were too severe.
The young Filipino girl would soon die.
The missionary and other friends stayed with her, trying to
comfort her during her final hour. Upon regaining
consciousness she made an unusual request. Despite the pain
and trauma of her father's beating, she was insistent on
holding the white dress the missionary had given her.
They explained that it was torn and soaked with blood and
dirt, but she insisted on having it in her hands. With the
simple faith of a ten-year old she whispered, "I just want
Jesus to know I was willing to bleed for Him."
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.
Thanks to SMKeith@aol.com