MY HEART OVERFLOWS WITH GRATITUDE-AS TOLD BY JOHN WYNN

How often I rebelled at going to the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses? I would feign a stomachache or a headache-anything to avoid attending.  But the firmness of my mother always caused such ailments to disappear quickly, and I would find myself  walking with her the two miles to the Kingdom Hall, listening as she discussed God's Word with an older companion.

THIS taught me a valuable lesson:  Parents should never stop being firm, in a loving way, for what is right in God's eyes. (Proverbs 29:15, 17) They should never forget the divine injunction 'not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together.'  (Hebrews 10:25) As I look back on my life,m how grateful I am that my mother made me do what was best for me!

Grateful for Fine Examples 

Although my father was an unbeliever, he was tolerant of Mother's beliefs when she became  a Bible Student, as Jehovah's Witnesses were then known. In 1913 she went to hear the talk "Beyond the Grave," given by Charles T. Russell, the first president of the Watchtower Society.  However, she was late arriving, and all seats were taken. So she was invited to sit with other latecomers around the platform, right next to Pastor Russell.  That talk deeply impressed her.  It was published the following day in the local newspaper and she kept a copy of it and read it repeatedly.

After the meeting, Mother handed in a piece of paper with her name, and she was soon contacted by a Bible Student. In time, she began to deliver Bible tracts from door to door in our hometown of Gloucester, England. From the time that my two sisters and I were very young, we shared with Mother in the preaching work.

When Harry Francis, a zealous Bible Student, moved to Gloucester, mother gave him a warm welcome.  Soon he took a personal interest in me, and his encouragement was a major factor in my later becoming a pioneer , as full-time ministers are called.  The example of Brother Francis taught me an important lesson:   Older ones should always look for ways to encourage younger ones. 

When my mother became a Bible Student, others in Gloucester did the same.  However, some elders in the congregation began thinking too much of themselves, and members of the class-as the congregation was then called-began to follow individuals. At one meeting, some kept poking Mother in the back, urging her to put her hand up in support of certain elders. But Mother knew they were not setting a proper example, and she refused  to be intimidated. At that time, in the late 1920's, many fell away and no longer walked in the way of the truth.  (2 Peter 2:2) Yet, Mother never deviated from loyally supporting the organization, thus setting a fine example for me.

Next time: My Stand for the Truth

From the Watchtower magazine, 1997