Short Stories

More than silver and gold a short story

by ABRAHAM PULICKAL
09/13/17
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

More than silver and gold (a short story)

Rachel was working in a multinational company in Bangalore in a very good position with a very good salary. Her mom in Kerala was sick and had cancer. Rachel was sponsoring all her medical and living expenses. Her mom was very spiritual and was often comforted listening to the messages of Pastor Ron. She also wrote letters to pastor Ron requesting to pray for her and for her family. Rachel had heard about Pastor Ron, however had never met him in person.

It was weekend and Rachel was preparing to visit her mother. She had bought gifts and medicines for her mom, bought some new dresses of her mom’s choice to make her feel good and had planned the appointment to see her mom’s doctor. Her seat in the bus was confirmed and next to her sat an elderly person in his sixties and had a fairly small luggage. All through the journey Rachel was thinking about her mom and tears started to roll down her cheeks, seeing this the elderly man asked her if she was ok and she told how she was much burdened by her mother’s sickness. The elderly person started speaking words of encouragement and hope from the Bible. He later introduced himself as Pastor Ron.  Rachel quickly remembered that he was probably the same Pastor whose messages her mom use to listen, however she was a bit reluctant to speak to him about it. Later when they got down in Kerala, Pastor Ron asked her if she was very familiar with the place and if she could help him find the exact location of  a house he needed to visit, Rachel said, “Sure, why not, I belong to this place”, quickly Pastor Ron showed her the details and address of the house which he had saved in his mobile. Rachel realized that it was her house that Pastor Ron was planning to visit and took him home. On the way Pastor Ron told her that he had come for a church meeting and thus thought to visit her mother who was sick and often wrote to him for prayers.

After they reached home, Pastor Ron prayed for her mother and she felt the power of God in her body as the Lord healed her. Pastor Ron blessed them and went to the church where his meeting was scheduled. Rachel did all the checkups for her mom once again and when the results came she was comforted when her mom’s healing was confirmed.

She was very happy and after the weekend was returning back to Bangalore, this time it was not Pastor Ron who was sitting next to her, but an elderly woman of her mom’s age. Rachel’s journey back was full of joy and happiness for the healing that her mom had received, however when she saw the woman seated next to her, she saw that the woman was in sorrow and as she spoke to her, she understood that her only son was in prison for burglary he had committed and thus she was broken. Rachel thought “what can I do for her?”, quickly the ordeal of her mom went before her, she had money with which she could sponsor her mom’s medication and buy expensive gifts, however she lacked what Pastor Ron had, her bag was filled with gifts to comfort her mother who was in pain, but Pastor Ron had the anointing that could heal her mom. She was much disturbed and thus quickly took out her Bible and started reading. The passage which opened before her was from Acts chapter 3 and when she read verse 6 where Peter says “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” She understood that what she carried for her mom was probably silver or gold, but what Pastor Ron brought was what he had, ‘healing in the name of Jesus’.

She gently held the elderly woman’s hand who was seated next to her and said, “Can I pray for you and for your son?”, the woman replied “Sure” and then for the first time Rachel prayed for someone’s healing for until now if ever she had prayed for anyone it was only for her mother. A deep peace came in her heart as she prayed and she also saw that the woman for whom she prayed had received a special joy and peace.

Rachel bid farewell to the woman and went to her home, however this journey had taught her once blessed fact, “More than gold and silver or anything material thing, what the world needs today is Jesus Christ,”, “We can only give to the world what we have, if we have money we can give money, If we have Jesus, we can share the love and healing of Jesus.”

What Rachel aimed now is not a better position, promotion and a higher salary for they can only help her comfort those in pain materially, however now she prayed for spiritual gifts and more of the Lord’s presence in her life, for that’s exactly what the world needs.