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Willing to Bleed for Him
(Author Unknown)
She stood outside the doorway of the
church intrigued by the love and joy displayed by those inside. The American
missionary had asked her to come in, but she had politely declined. It
wasn't because she didn't want to accept the kind of offer. Quite the
opposite; her heart was beckoning her to join in their singing and worship.
They seemed so happy, and the fellowship was so spontaneous and natural. But
this was a hostile area in the Philippines, and her father had strictly
forbidden her to have anything to do with those Christians.
Unknown to the little Filipino girl, the missionary was praying fervently
for her soul, longing to see the day when she would accompany her inside the
village church and learn of Jesus and how He shed His blood on a cross so
that her sins could be washed away. The girl knew something was happening
because each week she found it harder and harder to say no to the
missionary.
Finally one Sunday morning, she accepted. She accepted the invitation to
attend the Sunday school class, but also opened her heart to Jesus and
became a child of God. The missionary, overjoyed with the new believer, soon
presented her with a beautiful white dress, representing the fact that Jesus
had washed all her sins away.
Eager to see her new disciple, the missionary rushed to the next service.
But the girl was nowhere to be found. No one had seen or heard of her
whereabouts. Concerned for the girl, the missionary traveled to her home
village.
Upon arriving at her home, she found the young, new believer lying in the
dirt. Her white dress was torn, filthy, and soaked in blood. The girl's
father hadn't shared the missionary's joy in his daughter's newfound faith.
In a drunken rage he had beaten her, repeatedly kicked her, and left her to
die.
The missionary gently lifted the fragile girl and carried her back to the
church where a doctor rushed in to help her. But there was nothing he could
do. He removed the ragged dress and cleaned her up, but her injuries were
too severe. The young Filipino girl would soon die.
The missionary and other friends stayed with her, trying to comfort her
during her final hour. Upon regaining consciousness she made an unusual
request. Despite the pain and trauma of her father's beating, she was
insistent on holding the white dress the missionary had given her. They
explained that it was torn and soaked with blood and dirt, but she insisted
on having it in her hands. With the simple faith of a ten-year-old she
whispered, "I just want Jesus to know I was willing to bleed for Him."
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