LIFE STORY/ I Found Peace With God and With My Mother -AS TOLD BY MICHIYO KUMAGAI

"AND just why don't you worship your ancestors?" my mother asked.  "Don't you realize that it's because of them that you have life?  Will you show them no gratitude?  How can you cast off customs handed down for generations? Refusing to honor our ancestors is saying that our worship is foolish."  Then Mom broke down and cried.

It was not like Mom to speak this way. Besides, she had arranged for me to study the Bible, although she did that as a gentle way to refuse a study for herself. I had always obeyed her, and now I found it hard to refuse to  follow her guidance.  This time, though, I had to in order to please Jehovah.  Without strength from him, I could not have done it. 

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN 

Like most people in Japan, we were Buddhists.  But just two months of study with Jehovah's Witnesses convinced me that the Bible is true.  Discovering that I had a heavenly Father, I yearned to come to know him. Mom and I happily discussed what I was learning. I began attending Sunday meetings at the Kingdom hall. As my knowledge  of the truth increased, I told Mom that I would no longer share in Buddhist rites. Suddenly, her attitude changed.   "Having someone in the family  who has no love for our ancestors is a disgrace: were her words. She demanded that I  quit studying the Bible and attending meeting. Never had I imagined that my mother would say this!!  She was like different person.

From Ephesians chapter 6, I learned that Jehovah wanted me to obey my parents.  Dad took Mom's side Initially, I reasoned that If I listened to them,  they would listen to me and peace in our family would be restored.  Besides this, examinations to enter high school were coming up, and I needed to prepare.  So I agreed to do as they said for three months, but I promised Jehovah that I would attend meetings again when that time was up.  

My decision proved to be bad in two ways.  First, I thought that my feelings would not change in three months' time. Instead,  I quickly began to feel spiritually  starved,  slipping further away from Jehovah.  Second, instead of meeting me halfway, Mom and Dad put even more pressure on me to quit everything that had to do with true worship.

Next time: LIFE STORY/I Found Peace With God and With My Mother -AS TOLD BY MICHIYO KUMAGAI -HELP AND OPPOSITION

From the Awake! magazine