Susan LaffertySomeone else’s surrender will not do. David knows this.
Thank you, Araunah, but “I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:18-25)
He buys the threshing floor, the oxen. For a price. Then builds an altar and makes the offerings to God.
Each of us must consider the cost of following Christ. And someone else’s surrender will not do.
From a young age, I heard about Jesus and His love. Sang songs about Him. Listened as my parents read Bible stories. Our family prayed often. I was loved and cared for.
And yet.
And yet I was lost. Fearful. Felt the darkness. Something wasn’t right. And I knew it. “Do not lie” seemed to compel me toward that very thing. Lying.
“Is your arm hurting?” she asks. Yes. The broken bone near my shoulder is healing. Slowly.
It’s 2015 and Manga is prepping me for physical therapy at a hospital in Malaysia. “Be happy!” she says. “Think positive thoughts. Then you will not be hurting.”
I smile. She’s friendly. Gregarious. Her speech and ways and dress make me feel at home.
South Asian home.
