THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

Three questions changed my life AS TOLD BY DORIS ELDRED

YEAR BORN: 1949

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UNITED STATES 

HISTORY: SEARCHING FOR MEANING IN LIFE

MY PAST;  I grew up in Ancram,  a small town in upstate New York, U.S.A. The town consisted of mostly dairy farms. In fact, the town had more cows then people.  

My family attended the only church in town. On Sunday mornings, Grandpa would polish my shoes, and then I would head off to Sunday school with the little white Bible  my grandmother had given me. My siblings and I were taught to work hard, respect and help our neighbors, and be thankful for our blessings.  

When I grew up, I moved away and became a school teacher. I had many questions about God and life. Some of my students were quite gifted. Others were not a gifted but worked very hard.  Some had physical disabilities, while others excelled physically. I felt that the situation was unfair. Sometimes the parents of my less-fortunate students would say things such as,  "This is the way God wants my child to be." I wondered why God would allow some babies to be born  with disabilities. After all, the baby hadn't done anything wrong. 

I also wondered, 'What meaningful thing am I suppose to do with my life?' I felt that  my life was passing quickly. I had grown up in a nice family, I went to good schools, and now I was working at a job that I loved.  But the remainder of  my life seemed empty. At best, I could hope to get married, have a nice home and some children, continue working until I retired, and eventually move into a nursing home. I wondered if there was more to life. 

Next time: THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES- HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY  LIFE

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015