It was a hot, humid day in South Texas. The month-long drought had caused the grass to brown, and everything looked dry and dead. The neighborhood kids stayed cool by playing in the sprinklers and by having water-gun fights. People continually prayed for rain and hoped that the weather forecast would bring good news.
John was a cheerful boy who lived in the neighborhood and enjoyed being outside. He was twelve years old and he was tall for his age. John had dark brown hair and blue eyes and he was very athletic. Because he was the only child in his family, he especially enjoyed playing with the kids in the neighborhood. John noticed that most of the parents were staying inside all day long, watching to see if rainy weather would come. The neighbors also couldn’t enjoy being outside because it was so hot. This was very unusual for John’s neighborhood because they usually got together and enjoyed having cookouts.
Another month went by, and still not even a drop of rain came at all. One day, John’s parents heard on the Weather Channel that it was going to rain for the whole next day. John heard about it and clapped with joy. It was going to rain, and John was going to play in it. The day came, and the land was soaked and drenched with water. John played and played in the rain until it was time to go in and eat. As they were enjoying their supper, John’s father read a verse from his Bible. He read James 1:2 which says, “Consider it pure joy when you encounter various trials.” John sat at the dinner table and thought about the verse his dad had just read. That night, when it was time to go to bed, John thanked God for what had happened that day and for sending the rain.
When everyone was asleep, a lightning storm came. Lightning flashed across the sky over and over again, and John watched the display of lights from his window. He sat at his window for about an hour, stricken with fear, as the lightning got closer and closer to their home. He was so afraid that he ran into his closet and hid. John did not know what to do, and as he sat on his closet floor, he began to doze off to sleep.
He was awakened by the smell of smoke and the sound of crackling fire. John’s house had been struck by lightning while he was asleep. He began to yell out for his parents, but he did not get a response. Beams had fallen on his parents and knocked them out, and they had been stuck in the fire and had never made it out of the house in time. He was the only one who had escaped his house. John’s house had burned to the ground. His mother and father had gone to see the Lord.
John was alone and very scared. No one was there to give him shelter because he had run off in anger and fear before the fire department had arrived. No one knew if John had made it out in time. The firefighters searched the home and found no trace of John. He ran into the woods and found an old shed and stayed in there for the night, crying himself to sleep. The next day, John blamed God for what had happened, “Why did you do this to me, Lord? Why!” John shouted in anger. He became bitter toward God.
Remembering that his grandparents lived close by, John started off for the five-minute walk to his grandparents’ house in sadness. On his way, he saw an old, broken- down house and stopped to look at it. It reminded him of his house, but he continued on his way down the street to his grandparents’ house. When John arrived at his grandparents’ red brick house, he banged on the front door hastily. His grandmother was shocked to find John standing on the front porch because she didn’t know if he was even alive. She hugged John and they cried together. His grandfather walked in the room and was amazed at the sight of his grandson standing in his house. They told John that they had been up all night praying, crying, and waiting for news. Immediately, John’s grandfather telephoned the police department to notify them that John was alive and that he was at their home.
Three days went by before the day of the funeral for John’s parents arrived. John cried the entire time. After the funeral was over, they went home and had lunch. Then they went into the living room and talked about what happened. “What was it like that hour?” asked Grandpa. “I was so afraid I didn’t know what to do. It was dark, hot, and smoky. I yelled for help, but no one came. So I jumped out the window onto my trampoline,” John exclaimed.
“Poor thing. I am glad you’re alive,” responded Grandma.
“Thanks, Granny,” John said in sadness.
The next day John woke up very hungry, so he got out of bed. He was surprised not to find his grandma cooking breakfast. He wandered around the pantry, looking for something to eat. His grandma was surprised to find John rummaging through her pantry because she was not used to others being in her home. “What are you doing?” asked Grandma.
“I am just looking for something to eat,” John told his grandma.
“You sit down and I’ll cook you some eggs,” said Grandma.
“All right,” answered John.
Just as Grandma was going to cook eggs, Grandpa walked in, “Good morning everyone,” exclaimed Grandpa. As soon as breakfast was over, Grandpa took John for a morning walk so they could talk about plans for the future. Grandpa informed John that his parents’ will stated that if anything happened to them, he would go live with his grandparents.
Grandpa asked John to think about it for as long as he needed to in order to see if John would be happy living with them. John didn’t have to think about it at all and he blurted out, “Of course I want to live with you!” They both returned back to the house to inform Grandma of the good news.
That afternoon John and his grandmother bought a chocolate cake because it was Grandpa’s birthday. When they got home they set up decorations as fast as they could because Grandpa was almost home from work.
When Grandpa got home, he was surprised to find no one there. “Where is everybody?” Grandpa wondered to himself.
“Happy Birthday!” exclaimed Grandma and John. So that night, they celebrated his birthday. The next day, John went to a park with his grandparents, and the big park had a lake that had bright blue water with lots of animals in it. They went fishing for two hours and caught many fish. When it was time for lunch, they ate some of the delicious fish that they had caught.
Several years passed, and John realized that he had never dealt with his anger toward God regarding the loss of his parents. It began to show in his behavior. He stopped reading his Bible and he no longer prayed anymore. When his grandparents would ask John to pray before a meal, he would respond, “No thanks. I don’t want to. You can pray.” His grandparents became concerned for him, and they wondered what they could do to help John. They noticed that he became quick-tempered and that he was easily angered. One day, he was playing a game of football with some kids in the neighborhood, and when his team lost, a boy made a mean remark toward John’s team. John became very angry and punched the boy in the face. His grandpa ran out to stop the fight. “What has gotten into you, John?” questioned Grandpa. As John went back into his house, his grandpa asked him to have a seat on the couch. “John, your grandma and I have observed lately that you are easily angered and you don’t pray or read your Bible anymore. We are very concerned, and I would like to know if this has to do with the loss of your parents? Are you mad at God? Are you blaming Him for what happened?” John began to cry. “Your grandma and I miss your parents very much, also, as your mother was our daughter. We have chosen not to blame God, however, we trust that He has a reason for this,” reassured Grandpa. As they went to church the following Sunday, the pastor read from Job and from James 1:2. John remembered that that was the passage that his dad had read from the night before their death. John could not help but cry; he missed his parents so much. He had not found joy in his trials, and he was so sorry that he had blamed God instead of trusting Him. John sincerely repented of his sins by asking the Lord to forgive his disobedience. His grandparents came to comfort him. When the service was over, John noticed the boy, whom he had punched, and he apologized to the boy. The boy forgave him and they became good friends.
The next Sunday, which was Mother’s Day, John’s Sunday school class had a guest speaker. The gentleman spoke about an opportunity for young people to help in an orphanage across town. John was very interested in the opportunity because he was an orphan, but thankful that his grandparents had taken him in. When they went home, John told his grandparents how there was an orphanage that needed help. “May I please volunteer there?” asked John.
“That would be an excellent opportunity to help and serve others,” responded Grandpa. He shared a verse with John from James 1:27 which said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” John spent every Saturday for the next few months helping at the orphanage and playing with the children. He saw a need for these children to be adopted into good Christian homes.
After a few years, John graduated from high school and he went on to attend the University of Texas the following fall. Two months had passed, and John found a girl whom he liked and later married. After being married for a year, John’s wife, Mary, had not been able to conceive. They went to the doctor to find out why Mary wasn’t able to become pregnant. After running several tests, the doctor said, “You will not be able to have children. I am very sorry to inform you of this. Adoption is a wonderful option, and there are so many children who need a loving home.” John was quickly reminded of all the Saturdays he had spent volunteering at the orphanage. He became very excited at the possibility of adopting a child. After several months of working with adoption agencies, John and Mary got a call notifying them that a five-year-old boy was available to them for adoption. After a few days, John and Mary adopted the boy, named Joshua. When they came home, they had a party to celebrate Joshua’s adoption day. They ate ice cream and chocolate cake.
John and Mary went on to adopt three more children over the next few years. John also attended seminary and became a pastor. He remained in South Texas with
Mary and their two sons and two daughters and pastored a church there. As John was sitting on his front porch early one Saturday morning, sipping on a freshly brewed cup of
coffee, which looked like muddy water, he reflected on his life and was very thankful for God’s faithfulness and patience toward him. John remained a devoted servant of God.