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The Way of Love for the Lord
Chapter 51. “You became a prisoner of the Lord.” (August 20, 1982)
When I came home after finishing the three-day retreat in Seoul, I was warmly welcomed by my family. My husband, upon seeing me, asked me, “Julia, was the retreat good?” I replied, “Yes.” He asked me again, “Did you rent a good room and have a quiet time in the retreat with time for resting?” I said, “Yes.” As I continued to say only yes to his question with a smile, he said to me, “It seems that even this time the Lord didn’t let you take a rest.” We smiled holding each other’s hands. And I told him what had happened during the retreat. He said to me, “I think that the Lord is now planning to make you a fisher of men. You have already become a prisoner of the Lord.” I replied, “No, I’m not a prisoner of the Lord. I am already the Lord’s.” Then I sang a hymn titled ‘The Lord who is the way, the truth and the life’ “Julia, do you love the Lord that much?” “Yes, I think that the Lord is everything to my life. But He has given me a family to take care of. So I won’t neglect them.” “Julia, I’d like to wholly offer you up to the Lord who saved you from death. But you have a family to look after. So I’ll offer you up by 50%.” “Oh, is that true? Did I not mishear you?” “No, you didn’t mishear me. The Lord saved you from death. Even if the Lord had put you in a bedridden state after saving you from death, I would've thanked Him just for keeping you alive. But He has not only saved you from death but also totally restored you back into a healthy state. So what can I not do? The reason that I am not going to offer you up fully by 100% is that you have your mother who has lived depending only on you as well as our four children to look after. The Lord will understand this, won’t He?” “Of course, He will. In today's world, how numerous are those who are ungrateful for the graces that they have received? Thank you.” “Julia, I think that you should meet the people who are in trouble whenever the Lord wants it. I will get you a room for you to use solely for the conversations with those who seek your advice.” I was so surprised that I pinched my flesh to see if this was a dream or reality. Until then, there had been no adequate room for the conversations with those who came seeking my advice. So I'd had to talk with them at an alley near my beauty parlor. I had never told my husband about this inconvenience. But the Lord, through my husband, prepared the room which would be used for the conversations with those who were in need of my help. What was more surprising was that the owner of my beauty parlor had consented to rent that room at the request of my husband. Before, he had refused to rent it to us despite our repeated request for it. At that time, we had asked him to rent one more room because our family of seven - my mother, four children, husband and me - had to live in a single room that was inside the beauty parlor. “Lord! Do You love me, a sinner, as much as this? As You have already known my hidden thoughts, You have united my husband’s heart to mine. Please allow me to always stay in You, united with You throughout eternity.” “My beloved little baby! You totally entrust everything to Me with complete love, faith and trust in Me. So, how could I not love and cherish you? Because I am living in you and you are living in Me too, everything is possible.”
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