HARD PATH TO HEAVEN
After taking baptism, one day as she prayed God said, "I have chosen you in the midst of tribulations. Just as purifying silver in a fiery furnace..... I'll also purify you and make you holy"(Isa 48: 10, I Pet I: 7). Mom begged God, "Lord! Lead me according to your will...please give me grace to follow you whatever trials may come". She encouraged her children saying, "Lord told me he will purify us like silver. We may face many problems... we should not be frightened.....Jesus is with us. Jesus said ....the road that leads to heaven is narrow whereas the road to hell is broad; we need to follow the narrow road to heaven and eternal life"(Mat 7:13). Children replied, "God will help us...if Satan wants to give troubles let him try..we will pray to Jesus and He will save us". With great faith she told, "What happened when Jesus took baptism...? Satan took him to mountain for forty days in order to test him. Likewise, since we took baptism Satan will come to test us..... but without permission from Jesus he can't do anything to us. Even if Jesus gives him permission, he will also save us from troubles; so we don't need to be afraid".
Suddenly one morning around 10 a.m. a truck stopped in front of house and dad entered house with two or three people. Mom thought ....may be he came to vacate the house and take all to Thiruvadavur. She prayed to herself that this should not happen. If it happens, they won't be able to follow Jesus freely. Dad ordered one man to remove ceiling fan and another man to carry portable fan to the truck. He didn't even look at mom who was standing there. Mom asked him with fear why he is taking away them; he replied, "when I am not in this house any longer, why should I leave things I bought with my income here? ". There was silence for sometime. Dad further said, "I sweated myself having one hospital in Vadugapatti, another in Jeyamangalam in order to make you and children comfortable, but you are not grateful....you became Christian... and also spoiled children". Men kept loading everything in the truck. As he looked back what happened, his heart was fuming like a volcano. He continued to admonish mom, "Yes..morning I attended patients in Vadugapatti...without even taking rest in the afternoon I went to Jeyamangalam to follow patients...came back in the evening to Vadugapatti to see rest of the patients...so on I went from place to place working hard in order to make money so that you can live like a queen... and I brought up children as if in royal family. Do you have any gratitude..? No! Now she spoiled all family pride. She brought family to such an extent that people started to make fun saying that doctor is a Muslim... and his wife goes to Christian church". Even beggar on the street does not respect me anymore...!". Mom prayed to herself, " Just like God said.....we have to tread path of trials. My husband is not doing them, only Satan is working through him and spoiling his heart. Satan is trying hard to change our faith in Jesus. He is turning my own husband against us in order to disrupt our hearts. God! Give us strength to bear the troubles. Let him take everything from this house....you are sufficient and all in all for us". Dad took away every thing in the truck to Thiruvadavur. Mom watched silently with tears as he left the house angrily. The house was empty. As she stood there motionless, she thought....because of faith in Christ Jesus I had to lose my husband's love. After he left, she laid down in her cot with heavy heart. The clinic and house were located in the same building situated in the middle of down town.
All people in neighborhood saw what happened and after he left the opposite neighbor Kuppayammal came to mom and said that doctor should not have done this. Mom wept and said, "yes..... because we went to Christian church he did this". The lady said, "whatever it is, is it not his own wife and children". "What to do, for Muslims religion comes first before wife and children". Some more people came to console mom. Now every body in Vadugapatti knows that they became Christians and it split the family. Wherever mom went -shops or houses- people inquired about this and mom answered everyone's question patiently. Mom and dad had been running clinic in this town for nearly 20 years and everybody knew them well. Since they saw this family falling apart, they felt sad and shocked. Mom was comforted because she knew that the Lord is her shelter, shield, rock and her fortress. They believed that God will not forsake them. Omar, Fathima, Mytheen and Shahjahan didn't know this and mom also didn't inform them about it, as it would only disrupt their studies. Days rolled by in sorrow and they were wondering what will happen next.