By Qingsong, China

In 2001, I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. In 2020, I was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction and heart disease. I urgently needed money for medical treatment at that time, and by coincidence, my son sent me 5,000 yuan. I thought, “My son is the one I can always rely on. When I get old, I will still have to count on my son.” In 2022, my son got married, and he bought both a house and a car on his own. Later, my daughter-in-law spent more than a thousand yuan on a gold ring for me. She also said to me, “We don’t ask anything else of you, but when we have children in the future, it would be great if you could help take care of them.” When I saw how nice my son and daughter-in-law were to me, I thought, “This is my only son. I have to get along well with my son and daughter-in-law, since when I get old, I will have to rely on them to care for me. My health has been getting worse year by year. If I help them look after their children while I still can, they will take care of me when I get old.” After thinking this, I agreed, saying, “OK. When you have children, I will look after them for you.” Later, because of the risks to my safety, I had no choice but to leave home to do my duty in the church in order to avoid being arrested by the CCP.

One day in April 2024, I learned that my daughter-in-law was pregnant, and my family asked me to go back to take care of her. I hurried back. However, as soon as I got home, the village officials came to check my household registration. Thinking about the fact that the CCP has my photo and has been searching for me all these years, I didn’t dare stay at home and left quickly. After returning to the church, I felt very sad, and thought, “My son works in another city and doesn’t have time to take care of my daughter-in-law. If I, as her mother-in-law, don’t take care of her, what will her family think of me? I don’t even know how my daughter-in-law is doing now.” After I thought this, I felt constantly indebted to them. Because of the torment in my heart, my cerebral infarction flared up again. I became even more worried, thinking, “I’m getting older and older, and my health is getting worse and worse. Won’t I need my son and daughter-in-law to take care of me in the future? I didn’t take care of my daughter-in-law when she needed me the most. If one day I am old and sick and have to return to them, will they still accept me and take care of me in my old age?” Whenever I thought about this, my state worsened. The days passed, and soon it was time for the baby to be born. But I still couldn’t go back to take care of my daughter-in-law, and I couldn’t help but sigh. At that time, I was doing the duty of watering newcomers. Although I was doing my duty every day, my heart was often disturbed by this matter, and I didn’t follow up on the work or resolve the problems of the newcomers in a timely manner. As a result, some newcomers’ problems were not resolved promptly, and they lived in negativity and weakness. When I saw that I had not fulfilled my duties well, I did not think about how to resolve things and turn things around. Instead, I even thought, “If there are no results, so be it. If I get dismissed, then I might be able to go back to my son and help him look after the baby.” Because I was living in an incorrect state, I was doing my duty without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and I became negative and miserable. I then prayed to God, “Dear God, I constantly want to go home and take care of my daughter-in-law and grandson. I am afraid that if I don’t go back now, no one will take care of me when I get old. I know that it is wrong to live in this state. May You enlighten and lead me to understand the truth and know my own problems.” After praying, I remembered the words of God: “Why are children dutiful to their parents? Why do parents dote on their children? What sorts of intentions do people actually harbor? Is their intent not to satisfy their own plans and selfish desires? Do they truly mean to act for the sake of God’s management plan? Are they really acting for the sake of God’s work? Is their intent to fulfill the duties of a created being?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together). God exposes that there is no real love or care between people at all. Everyone harbors their own intentions, seeking their own personal gain. I was just as God had exposed. I was constantly thinking about my daughter-in-law’s pregnancy, not because I sincerely wanted to take care of her, but because of my own intentions. I felt like my health had been getting worse over the past few years, and I would still have to rely on my son to care for me in my old age. Therefore, I wanted to help them care for their child while I still could, so in return he would care for me in my old age. But when I couldn’t go back because of my duty and risks to my safety, my heart was filled with agony, and I no longer held any sense of burden for my duty. I saw that I only considered the interests of my flesh.

Later, I sought the truth to resolve my problems. I read the words of God: “When people are unable to see through to, understand, accept, or submit to the environments that God orchestrates and His sovereignty, and when people face various difficulties in their daily lives, or when these difficulties exceed what normal people can bear, they subconsciously feel all kinds of worry and anxiety, and even distress. They don’t know what tomorrow will be like, or the day after, or how things will be in a few years’ time, or what their future will be like, and so they feel distressed, anxious, and worried about all manner of things. What is the context in which people feel distressed, anxious, and worried about all manner of things? It is that they don’t believe in the sovereignty of God—that is, they are unable to believe in and see through to God’s sovereignty. Even if they saw it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t understand it, or believe it. They don’t believe that God holds sovereignty over their fate, they don’t believe that their lives are in God’s hands, and so distrust arises in their hearts toward God’s sovereignty and arrangements, and then blame arises, and they are unable to submit” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (3)). What God exposed was exactly my state. After I first found God, and when I was healthy, I was able to focus on my duties, but as I got older, my health problems gradually increased. I had a cerebral infarction, and my heart wasn’t in good shape. Without realizing it, I started living in distress and anxiety, worrying about what I’d do if my health deteriorated and no one was there to care for me. When my son and my daughter-in-law needed me, I didn’t go back to take care of them, so would they still care for me when I grew old and needed care? When I thought this, I began to sink into negative emotions, lost my sense of burden in my duty, and even became unwilling to do my duty in the church. I just wanted to go back to care for my daughter-in-law. Even though I often said that everything is in God’s hands, when things came upon me, I lost faith in God’s sovereignty and just wanted to rely on others. I saw that I didn’t have any faith in God at all. Thinking back on it, what was the point of me worrying about these things? God had already arranged what my future life would be like, and I just needed to submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangements and experience things naturally.

I read another passage of God’s words: “Parents have already gained much enjoyment and understanding from their children in the process of raising them, which is a great comfort and gain to them. As for whether your children will be filial to you, whether you can rely on them for anything, and what you can obtain from them, these things depend on whether you are destined to live together, and this is down to God’s preordination. In another respect, the kind of environment your children live in, their living conditions, whether they have the conditions to take care of you, whether they are financially comfortable, and whether they can provide you with material enjoyment and assistance, also depend on God’s preordination. Moreover, as parents, whether you can enjoy the material things, money, or emotional comfort that your children give you also depends on God’s preordination. Isn’t that so? (Yes.) These are not things people can ask for by their own will. You see, some children are not liked by their parents, and their parents are not willing to live with them, but God has preordained for them to live with their parents, so they are unable to travel far away or leave their parents. They are stuck with their parents for their entire lives—their parents couldn’t drive them away even if they tried. Some children, on the other hand, have parents who are very willing to live with them; they are inseparable, always missing each other after they part, but for various reasons, such as going abroad to work or living in another place after getting married, they are separated from their parents by a long distance. It is not easy to meet up even once, and they have to find the right time even to make a phone or video call; because of the time difference or other inconveniences, they are unable to talk with their parents very often. Aren’t these special circumstances all related to God’s preordination? (Yes.) It is not something that can be decided by the subjective wishes of either parent or child; most of all, it depends on God’s preordination” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (19)). From God’s words I understood that parents all hope to be cared for by their children when they grow old. But this truly isn’t something people can seek for themselves; rather, it is determined by God’s sovereignty and ordination. I thought of an elderly sister I’d known. After her children started their own families, she continued to do her duty in the church, and she had no time to help look after her grandchildren. But after she turned 60, her daughter took the initiative to care for her, and she was still able to do her duties from her daughter’s home. In another instance, I knew somebody who’d been working to earn money for her son’s family and helped him take care of his children, but in the end, she was kicked out by her daughter-in-law. I also thought about the time in 2020 when I was sick and really needed money. Although I hadn’t said anything to my son, he happened to give me 5,000 yuan. Wasn’t this all the result of God’s sovereignty and arrangements? When I understood this, I felt really ashamed. I’d believed in God for so many years and eaten and drunk so many of God’s words, but as soon as I got ill, I was revealed. I didn’t rely on God, I tried to think of ways out on my own, and I kept wanting to run to my son for support. In what way was I a believer in God? After reading the words of God, I understood that if God has predestined that a person’s children will not care for them in old age, then no matter how hard they try to maintain their relationship with their children, it will all be in vain. If God has predestined that my children will take care of me, then God will arrange things for me when the time comes. If one day I could no longer do my duty due to my health, then I would experience this by submitting to God’s orchestrations and arrangements. I believed that there are lessons to be learned and truths to be gained. After that, I no longer worried about not being able to take care of my daughter-in-law, and I could quiet my heart and do my duty.

Later, I read that God exposes how Satan uses traditional culture to corrupt people, and I gained some discernment of the wrong views I had within myself. Almighty God says: “Looking at traditional Chinese culture, Chinese people particularly emphasize filial piety. From ancient times to the present, this has always been discussed, and it has been regarded as a part of people’s humanity and a standard for measuring whether someone is good or bad. Of course, in society, there is also a common practice and public opinion that if children are not filial, they will be despised and condemned, and their parents will feel ashamed, and the children will feel unable to bear this mark on their reputation. Under the influence of various factors, parents are also deeply poisoned by this traditional thinking, demanding without thinking or discernment that their children be filial. Why do parents raise children? It is not so they will care for you in your old age and send you off, but to fulfill a responsibility and obligation that God has given you. One aspect is that raising children is a human instinct, while another is that it is a human responsibility. You gave birth to children due to instinct and responsibility, not for the sake of preparing for old age and being taken care of when you’re old. Isn’t this viewpoint correct? (Yes.) Are people without children necessarily miserable in their old age? Not necessarily, right? People without children can still live to old age, and some are even healthy, enjoy their later years, and go to the grave in peace. Can people with children definitely enjoy their later years in happiness and health? (Not necessarily.) Therefore, the health, happiness, living situation, quality of life, and physical status of parents in their old age actually have no direct relationship with whether their children are filial or not, but are related to God’s preordination and to the living environment He sets up for them. Children are not obligated to bear the responsibility for the living situation in their parents’ later years” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (19)). After reading the words of God, I understood that the purpose of raising children is not so they can care for you in old age, and that everyone has their own mission and responsibilities. However, after I was corrupted by Satan, I accepted the thoughts and views it instilled in me, such as “Have someone to rely on in old age,” “Have someone to look after you in old age,” and “Raise children to care for you in old age.” I believed that it just wouldn’t do for a person not to have children to look after them in their old age. When I got older and developed various health problems, I just wanted to maintain a good relationship with my son and daughter-in-law so that they would care for me in the future. When I couldn’t go back to care for my pregnant daughter-in-law due to risks, I didn’t even feel like doing my duty. This meant that the newcomers’ problems were never resolved, and that their life entry was delayed. But I still didn’t repent, and I even hoped to be reassigned in my duties so I could go home and care for my daughter-in-law. I thought about how I’d believed in God for many years and enjoyed so much of God’s provision of the truth. Not only did I fail to do my duty properly to repay God, but I was even able to give up my duty to please my son and daughter-in-law. When things came upon me, all I thought about was my own way out. I didn’t show the slightest devotion to my duty. In what way did I have any humanity? I realized that views such as “Have someone to rely on in old age,” “Have someone to look after you in old age,” and “Raise children to care for you in old age,” are tricks Satan uses to control people. Living by these views led me to not believe in God’s sovereignty, to rebel against and not submit to God, and to lack any sense of burden for my duty. I almost lost the opportunity to do my duty. If I continued to hold to these views, I would lose my chance at salvation, and I would truly ruin myself. I then thought about my experiences with illness in recent years. In 2018, I couldn’t straighten my arms due to cervical spondylosis compressing the nerves. The sister who hosted me bought me some medicine, and later, I was finally able to straighten my arms again. Also, I had a cerebral infarction in 2020, and the doctors said that my disease was difficult to treat. Unexpectedly, an older sister gave me four boxes of medicine for cerebral infarction. After taking the medicine, my health gradually improved. None of these illnesses in recent years were cured by relying on my son: It was God who, time and time again, arranged people, events, and things so that my illnesses could be healed. I am still alive today because of God’s protection! I had to let go of Satan’s fallacies such as “Have someone to rely on when you are old” and “Have someone to depend on when you are old,” and entrust myself to God, using the time I have left to do my duty properly to satisfy Him.

Afterward, I read another passage of God’s words: “Parents should not demand that their children be filial, and take care of them in their old age and bear the burden of their later life—there is no need for this. In one respect, it is an attitude that parents should have toward their children, and in another, it is the dignity that parents should possess. Of course, there is also a more important aspect: It is the principle that the created beings who are parents should abide by in treating their children. If your children are filial and willing to take care of you, you don’t need to refuse them; if they are unwilling to do so, you don’t need to moan and groan all day long, feeling uncomfortable or dissatisfied in your heart, or hold grudges against your children. You should take responsibility and bear the burden for your own life and survival so far as you are able, and you should not put it off on others, especially your children. You should proactively and correctly face a life without the company or help of your children by your side, and even if you are distant from your children, you should still be able to face whatever life brings you on your own. Of course, if you require essential help from your children, you can ask them for it, but it should not be based on the mistaken thought and viewpoint that children must be filial to their parents or that you rely on them to care for you in your old age. Instead, both should approach doing things for their parents or their children from the perspective of fulfilling their responsibilities. In this way, the relationship between parents and children can be handled rationally. Of course, if both sides are rational, give each other space, and respect each other, in the end, they will definitely be able to get along better and harmoniously, cherish this familial affection, and cherish their care, concern, and love for each other. Of course, doing these things based on mutual respect and understanding is relatively in line with humanity and relatively appropriate” (The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth. How to Pursue the Truth (19)). God says: “Parents should not demand that their children be filial, and take care of them in their old age and bear the burden of their later life—there is no need for this. In one respect, it is an attitude that parents should have toward their children, and in another, it is the dignity that parents should possess.” These words really touched me. God has clearly told us that the relationship between parents and children should be based on mutual care and understanding, and should not involve any bargains. Everyone has their own mission, and as parents, we should not ask our children to support and care for us. The elderly should also live with dignity and not always think about relying on their children’s care. Although I raised my son, he is now grown up and independent, and he doesn’t have much to do with me anymore. Everyone has their own path in life and must face what happens in life independently. However, I always wanted my son to take care of me when I’m old, and didn’t dare to experience the life that God has arranged for me on my own. How was I living with any dignity? By eating and drinking the words of God, my perspective turned around somewhat, and I felt much more liberated.

One day, I received a letter from home. It said my daughter-in-law had already given birth, and I was asked to go back to take care of her. I felt a little shaken, and thought, “Now I am so busy with my duty. If I really go home, I don’t know how long it will take me to come back here again. This will delay the work of the church. In addition, the CCP has been constantly trying to arrest me. Going back will likely involve risks. But if I don’t go back, what if my son and daughter-in-law break off relations with me? I still have to rely on them to care for me in old age. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll just have to go back.” When I thought this, I realized that I still wanted to rely on my son in my old age, and I sought the truth in relation to my problem. I read the words of God: “God does not merely pay a price for each person in the decades from their birth to the present. As God sees it, you have come into this world countless times, and have been reincarnated countless times. Who is in charge of this? God is in charge of this. You have no way of knowing these things. … How much God toils for a person’s sake! Some people say, ‘I’m sixty years old. For sixty years, God has been watching over me, protecting me, and guiding me. If, when I’m old, I can’t perform a duty and I can’t do anything—will God still care about me?’ Is this not a silly thing to say? God does not have sovereignty over a person’s fate, and watch over them and protect them for just a single lifespan. If it were just the matter of a single lifespan, a single lifetime, that would fail to demonstrate that God is almighty and has sovereignty over everything. The labor that God does and the price that He pays for a person is not merely to arrange what they do in this life, but to arrange for them a countless number of lifetimes. God takes full responsibility for every soul that is reincarnated. He works attentively, paying the price of His life, guiding every person and arranging each of their lives. God toils and pays a price in this way for man’s sake, and He bestows upon man all of these truths and this life. If people do not perform the duty of created beings in these final days, and they do not return before the Creator—if, in the end, no matter how many lives and generations they have lived through, they do not do their duties well and they fail to meet God’s demands—would their debt to God not then be too great? Would they not be unworthy of all the prices God has paid? They would be so lacking in conscience, they would not deserve to be called people, as their debt to God would be too great. … The grace, love, and mercy that God shows man are not merely a kind of attitude—they are a fact, as well. What fact is that? It is that God puts His words within you, enlightening you, so that you may see what is lovely about Him, and what this world is all about, so that your heart is filled with light, allowing you to understand His words and the truth. In this way, without knowing it, you gain the truth. God does so much work on you in a very real way, enabling you to gain the truth. When you gain the truth, when you gain that most precious thing which is eternal life, God’s intentions are satisfied. When God sees that people are pursuing the truth and willing to cooperate with Him, He is happy and contented. He is then of an attitude, and while He is of that attitude, He goes to work, and approves of and blesses man. He says, ‘I will reward you with the blessings that you deserve.’ And then you will have gained the truth and the life. When you have knowledge of the Creator and you have gained His appreciation, will you still feel an emptiness in your heart? You will not. You will feel fulfilled and have a sense of enjoyment. Is this not what it means for one’s life to have value? This is the most valuable and meaningful life” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Paying the Price to Gain the Truth Is of Great Significance). After reading God’s words, I was deeply moved. God is sovereign over and controls the fate of all mankind, and only He is my support. I thought about how, in all the years I’d been following God and doing my duty, God had always been leading and protecting me, and I had seen many of God’s deeds. With God by my side, what was I still worried about? If, at this crucial moment in God’s work, I continued to live for my family and the flesh, failed to do my duty in order to maintain my relationship with my son, and ultimately lost my chance for salvation, that would be truly foolish! I just want to devote everything I can to fulfilling my duty for the rest of my life. Even if my son doesn’t care for me in my old age, I don’t need to worry. I will just experience it by relying on God. Now, I am busy doing my duties every day, and I feel extremely relaxed and liberated.

After this experience, my most profound realization is that God is my true support. Only God can express the truth, point us to the correct path in life, and lead us to live out a meaningful life. Thanks be to Almighty God!