Page 8 - Good News June 2009 paper

ast April on a Sunday we
took one of our “nowhere”
Ldrives. My husband was
quietly driving a back road. I was
occupied in the front passenger
seat watching the scenery. Out of
the corner of my eye I noticed
that my husband was straining to
look out of my window. This
startled me, since his eyes
should have been on the road in when it is Easter.” I had no idea what he meant by
front of him. I asked him what he that, so I pressed him for more information.
was looking at and he quietly He continued, “The pine-trees start their new growth
replied, “Nothing.” His eyes went period during the weeks before Easter. If you look at
back to the road in front of him. the tops of the pine-trees two weeks before Easter,
After a few minutes, I looked at you will see the yellow shoots. As the days get
my husband again and noticed a closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch
tear. I asked him what was wrong. off and form a cross. By the time Easter Sunday
This time he told me, “I was just comes around, you will see that most of the pine-
thinking about Pop and a story he trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the
had once told me.” Because it tallest shoots.”
had to do with his Dad I wanted to I turned to look out the window and I couldn't believe
know the story, and so I asked my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could
him to share it with me. see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots
He said, “When I was about 8 stretching to Heaven.
years old, Pop and I were out The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of
fishing and that is when he told tiny golden crosses!
JESUS IS LORD!
me that the pine-trees know JESUS IS LORD!

’n Suid-Koreaanse Christen het aan die ergste
graad van melaatsheid gely. Dit was in oorlogstyd
en hy is in ’n Amerikaanse sendinghospitaal
opgeneem. Die man was verskriklik geskend deur
sy siekte. Sy voete was so misvorm dat hy nie kon
loop nie. Hy het geen vingers aan sy hande
oorgehad nie. Die siekte het sy oë, sy tong en
tande, selfs sy lippe verwoes. Só het hy in sy
hospitaalbed gelê: verlam, doof, stom, blind.
Maar drie dinge kon hy nog doen: Hy kon aanvoel
wanneer iemand in sy kamer kom as gevolg van
die vibrasie van die voetstappe op die vloer. Hy
kon sy vingerlose hand so effens oplig. En hy kon
nog onverstaanbare geluide maak.
Dit was vir hom genoeg om teenoor die mediese
personeel van sy Here te getuig. In die dodekamer
het die volgende toneel dikwels afgespeel:
Wanneer iemand daar ingekom het, het die
melaatse dit aangevoel en sy vingerlose hand
opgelig om te wys na die houtkruis wat hy geweet
het bokant sy bed hang. Só het hy weggewys van
sy eie pyn… na sy Verlosser, Christus die Here.
Dan het die blinde, sterwende man liploos
geglimlag en opgewonde hyggeluide gemaak.
Niemand wat hom gesien het, kon twyfel aan wat
hy wou sê en aan die krag van sy getuienis nie.

“Christene is op pad deur die nag in die rigting
van die dagbreek. Al wat ons hoef te doen, is
om vir die ander reisigers deur die nag in die
rigting van die Lig te wys. Hulle sal verstaan dat
ons daarmee sê: ‘Kyk, daar kom die Son op!’”
(Daniel Fackre).

[Uit: Stories vir die lewe Omnibus, ’n Boek oor
lewenswaardes, Piet Naudé, Lux Verbi.BM, 2002].

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