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 PrintableVersion An object of grace and loveThe captivating story of Watchman Nee's mother told in her own wordsWatchman’s motherAN OBJECT OF GRACE AND LOVE Autobiographies of Chinese women born in the 19th century are rare. The vast majority had no ac-cess to education and did not leave their homes. Lin Heping was born into extreme poverty, given away to a concubine in a wealthy family and educated, studying in English for two years. She hoped to join an elite group of Chinese girls pioneering tertiary education in the USA who could bring education and medicine back to Chinese women in the future. It would be ten to 15 years before that would be available within China. But when she finished school in 1898, her mother, frightened of losing her abroad, arranged a marriage for her without her knowledge or consent, and all her dreams of the future lay in ashes. At the age of 18, she was reduced to the unenviable status of daughter-in-law. Her mother ‘lost’ her in the process anyway and this would damage family relationships all her life. It is important to read the book with this background in mind. Translating the words into English does not mean translating the culture into a Western one. The book is easy to read but there is much that is hard for us to understand. We need to listen and withhold judgment. In becoming a Christian Heping had to live within Chinese culture while working out what it meant to be Christian. At the same time her Christian faith was impacting her Chinese life. She saw life in black and white but gradually she grew and matured in her faith and service, and was led into a wider ministry, especially among women. She had become a Christian through Dora Yu, and knew other outstanding Chinese women leaders in that period. It was women like her who helped to nurture the country churches through the turbulence and persecution of the 20th century. Her eldest son, Watchman Nee, was used to start the indigenous ‘Little Flock’ congregations, a significant group in the worldwide Chinese Church today, and his books in translation have had a worldwide impact. Heping died in 1950 as the Communists were taking control of China. Six years later her son was imprisoned and held for 20 years until he died. Valerie Griffiths© Evangelicals Now - February 2007 |
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