“I choose Buddha,” she said. And at that moment my heart broke.
We had been talking to this woman for about an hour. She had invited us into her home, and listened intently as we shared the gospel and explained to her how much God loved her and wanted a relationship with her. While my teammate Jordan shared, I prayed quietly and earnestly that her heart would be opened and she would see the truth.
Jordan finished by asking her, “Would you like to accept this gift? Would you like to choose Jesus?”
The answer was no.
My heart broke and I could see Jordan’s had too.
After more discussion with our whole team she agreed to let us pray for her before we left. With tears spilling out of my eyes, I sat there and prayed for this woman and her salvation.
Sadness and anger overwhelmed me.
Sadness that this woman decided to continue choosing a life of darkness, a life apart from the one true God. And anger, anger that Buddhism has such a stronghold over this country and its people.
She kept saying things like “I have followed Buddha all my life,” “It is what my culture does.”
No amount of convincing would do anything. She did not see her need for God.
I have no doubt that the Lord will continue working in her heart and call her back to Him. We were simply messengers of His great gift and as the Bible tells us in Isaiah 55:10:
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
But I’m going to be honest; my heart still hurts for this woman. I am still angry at the hold Buddhism has over this nation. Never before have I so tangibly seen how much weight the saving message of the Gospel holds but in a place bound by idolatry. These people NEED God. We all need him. And as much as I want to shake them and make them choose the right way, I know I can’t. We are all given a choice, life or death and I can’t take that choice away from anyone.
My heart is broken for these people. It’s hard and it sucks sometimes. But despite the power Buddhism might have, I can go to sleep tonight firmly clinging to the knowledge and promise that our God has the victory. He has more power than any golden statue we may stare at while sharing the gospel.
Keep praying. Seeds are being planted. Our lost brothers and sisters are coming to know their Father. Some are hearing about Him for the first time ever and that’s a beautiful thing. They might not all choose life right now, but some of them are, and the rest of them are getting one step closer.
