An Amish Honor

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  Joseph nodded again in appreciation.

  ~

  The warm water pelted down with force, covering Joseph’s head. The stream that traveled through his hair and into his face was most welcome. This flow of liquid ecstasy was just what the doctor ordered. He’d never known what he’d been missing at home, only having a bathtub for bathing. This, though, felt like rain water straight from Heaven.

  It had been a painful chore, peeling out of his clothes. As he surveyed his bruises, he now knew why. Jah, his brothers had every intention of killing him.

  It was then he realized the truth. He’d never see his brothers or sister again. He’d never see Dat again. It was as though he were dead to them and they were dead to him.

  Why, God?

  A sudden inexplicable grief overtook him and he began to sob. His tears mingled with the blessed shower water as they cleansed both his body and soul.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Hey, Jonah.” Robert appeared at the door of the room Joseph was to be occupying for the evening. “I’m just making the rounds before everyone turns in. Do you need anything? Have any questions?”

  “Jah, I do.” Joseph nodded and Robert stepped into the room.

  “May I?” He asked to sit on the bunk next to him.

  “Sure. What I don’t understand is why you all have been so kind to me.” Emotion suddenly overcame Joseph. “I’ve done nothing to deserve all this.”

  “Jonah, we love because He first loved us. We like to think that each person that walks through the doors of this place is Jesus. Or at least that they were sent by Him.”

  “But I’m not Jesus. Why would you do these things for a complete stranger? You don’t know anything about me. I could be a really bad person.”

  “Because Jesus has done so much for me that I can never even begin to repay Him. He knew that I was a filthy sinner, undeserving of His grace, of His forgiveness, of His love. Yet, He died for me anyway. He forgave me anyway. He loved me anyway. I cannot help but live my life to serve Him. He offered me His hands and feet in death. So I want to offer Him my hands and feet in life.”

  “Oh.”

  “Have you received His forgiveness, Jonah?”

  He scratched his head. Had he? He knew about God and that Jesus died on the cross, but he was unsure about the forgiveness part. He hadn’t been baptized into the church yet. Had he ever done anything that needed forgiveness? He knew that his brothers sure had. They needed forgiveness in a big way.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I have something that I need to be forgiven of.”

  Robert chuckled. “Everyone needs forgiveness. We’re all sinners.”

  “But I’m Amish—” Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. The last thing he wanted people here to know is that he’d been Amish. “I mean, I have an Amish background.”

  “And you think that being Amish gives you favor with God? That you can go to Heaven because of the religion you were raised in?”

  “No, I have to be a good person too and abide by the Ordnung.” Yet, here he was out in the Englisch world.

  “Jonah, saying that being Amish makes you right with God is like saying that being in a forest makes you a tree. Being part of a religious group—any religious group—will never get anyone to Heaven.”

  Joseph frowned. What did Robert mean? He couldn’t mean that his family and friends and acquaintances were headed for hell, could he? Well, maybe his brothers were but… “I’m not sure that I understand. How does a person get to Heaven then?”

  “God tells us in the Bible. Do you want to see?”

  Did he want to see? What kind of a question was that? Who wouldn’t want to know how to get to Heaven?

  “Yes.”

  Robert pulled a small black book from his shirt pocket. It was a little smaller than the hymnals their Amish youth used for singings.

  “Is that a Bible?” He’d never seen one so small.

  “It’s just a New Testament.” Robert nodded. “The thing with religions is that they are only able to make one conform on the outside. But those good works are just acts—deeds to be seen by man. It is only God who can change the heart and make a new man. It has to work from the inside out. And that can only happen when Christ enters a man’s heart.”

  Joseph nodded. It made sense. He knew a lot of people who were baptized Amish and acted, well, like his brothers. They didn’t have the compassion that these people showed.

  “And just remember that people that do have Christ in their lives are not going to be perfect. Our sins have been erased, but our sin nature hasn’t. Everyone is a work in progress. But you should know them by their fruit.”

  Robert opened his small Bible. “I’m going to read from the book of Romans, starting with chapter three. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. A few verses up, it also says There is none righteous; no, not one.”

  He looked at Joseph. “So, if no one is righteous and all have sinned, that pretty much puts everyone in the same boat, right? Amish, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, Baptist, Mormon, none of those titles matter. The Bible doesn’t even mention them here. All are in a mess as far as God is concerned. All have come short of His glory.”

  Joseph frowned. Robert’s words, or God’s Words, didn’t paint a very good picture. “Well, then who can go to Heaven? Who can escape Hell?”

  “That’s a good question. You know, there were people in the Bible who wanted to know too. Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ He explained to Nicodemus how much God loved the world, enough to send Jesus to die for us. He promised that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And when the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, they told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

  “So, that’s it? Just believe?”

  “Well, the Bible also says that even the devils believe and tremble, so I’m guessing the difference is in where your heart lies. The devils and probably most people living today have a basic head knowledge of Jesus Christ and who He is. Just knowing and believing that something happened doesn’t mean anything. You also have to receive Him.”

  He flipped a few pages in his Bible. “I think that’s why Paul goes on to clarify in Romans. Here, let me read it to you. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

  Joseph rubbed his chin. “I think I get it.”

  “Think of it this way, Jonah. Remember when that really bad hurricane hit the gulf coast and all of those cities and towns were covered in water?”

  Joseph nodded. He remembered it well. It had been plastered on every newspaper he’d seen. They’d even prayed for the victims.

  He continued. “Well, imagine if you were sitting on top of your house and I came by with my boat. You see my boat and you know that it’s there and that it’s available to you. I call to you on your rooftop telling you that I can save you, but you’ll need to get in the boat.

  “You tell me that you appreciate my offer and you do believe that I can save you, that I and my boat are capable. But instead of getting in the boat, you decide that you’ll figure out your own way to get to safety or that you’ll wait until the water rises higher. After all, your friends are still sitting on the rooftops of their houses. They didn’t accept my offer either and they seem to be fine. So you never accept my offer.”

  “I’d be a fool.”

  Robert nodded. “In order to benefit from my boat, to be saved, you’d have to receive my gift—my offer—personally. Just believing is not enough. In order to benefit from the cross, to be saved, you have to accept Christ’s gift—His offer—personally. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes, that makes perfect sense.” Joseph smiled. “What do I
need to do to receive Him?”

  “Just ask Him and believe in your heart, like the Bible says in the verses we just read.”

  “Okay.” Joseph bowed his head and prayed silently, the way he’d always seen his father do. Gott, please save me. Cleanse me of my sins. Take me to Heaven someday. Denki. Amen.

  Robert bowed his head as well.

  Joseph shifted off the bed a bit to let Robert know he was finished, but Robert kept his head bowed for a while. Joseph waited a little then cleared his throat. Eventually, Robert looked up with a grin on his face and tears in his eyes. He was crying?

  “Sorry. I tend to get a little emotional when a new soul trusts Christ. Do you realize that the angels are rejoicing in God’s presence right now because you just accepted Christ as your Saviour?”

  “What?”

  Robert turned again to a passage in his Bible. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. And a few verses down Jesus states, Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

  “Wow! That’s wonderful gut.”

  “It is, isn’t it? Praise God.” Robert turned to him. “So, do you have any more questions?”

  “Nee, no, I don’t think so. I’m going to Heaven now, ain’t so?”

  “Yep, you’ve got God’s promise on that. You are now sealed until the day of redemption and nothing can snatch you from His hand.”

  “Sealed?” The term was unfamiliar to him.

  “Yep. When you trust Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. You belong to God. You are His child. He never disowns His own.”

  Joseph frowned. “Not that I would, but what if someone disowned Him?”

  “Good question. Which is why I believe God put those verses in the Bible. They are very comforting. There’s nothing I can do to lose what God has given me. I’m not the keeper, He is. Even if I wander away, I am still His child. It is Christ and His power that keep me saved. I’m not strong enough to extract myself from God’s hand. No one is. For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day. See, God does the saving and God does the keeping.”

  Joseph shook his head. “That’s…amazing.”

  “Yes, it is. God is so so good.” He scratched his chin. “Now, we can choose to disobey our Heavenly Father. If we do that, though, we will be corrected. Just like our earthly fathers are supposed to do.”

  Joseph nodded. “What if I mess up? What if I do something I’m not supposed to, not even knowing?”

  “Well, God is not out to punish His children. He loves us. He wants us to have joy and peace. But He knows that sin will only bring us heartache, so He gently guides us along the right path so we can avoid all the pain and heartbreak. He wants us to lean on Him and trust Him fully with our lives. We need not fear His wrath.”

  “How do I know what He wants me to do?”

  “Read His Word and ask Him to show you. He will.” He handed the small Bible to Joseph. “Take this. Read it every day and you will find God’s will for your life.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yep. I can get another one.”

  Joseph held the small book in his hands and caressed it as though he’d been given a treasure. “Denki. Thank you very much. I’ll read it.”

  “You do that, Jonah. And I’ll be praying for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I have a feeling God is going to use you to do great things.” Robert squeezed his shoulder.

  “You think so? I have so little. And I’m nobody.”

  “That’s exactly why He can use you. He gives grace to the humble. Stay humble, Jonah, and you’ll see God do mighty things through you.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Joseph now lay on the twin bunk provided by the local rescue mission. Once again, He thanked God above that places like this existed. He didn’t even want to imagine where he would be right now if Steve hadn’t directed him here. He had been correct about the shower and hot meal, but he’d received so much more than just that. What a blessing. He’d be eternally grateful.

  He never even could have dreamed—okay, maybe he could have dreamed it—himself in a circumstance such as this, but alas, here he was.

  A longing for home—for Dat, for Benjamin, for Dinah—caused an ache in his heart even greater than his physical injuries. The thought of never seeing any of them again brought him to tears once more.

  What would he do without them?

  What would they do without him? How would they respond to his absence? Would Dat mourn for him? Surely he would. They’d had a special bond, he and Dat. This would be difficult for Dat to endure, for sure. Especially after losing Mamm.

  Gott, please be with them. And me.

  He couldn’t believe his brothers hated him enough to kill him! As long as he could remember, they’d always reminded him that he was their half-brother. Was he so intolerable that they felt the need to do away with him? Being here evidenced that fact more than anything else. The rejection stung.

  Were they hoping to get Dat’s property? Was that what they were hoping for? Because if they were, Benjamin should beware. If they’d already killed a man and were willing to kill their own brother, who knows what kind of evil they were capable of.

  Gott, please protect Benji. And let my family find You. They need you, Lord.

  ~

  “Well,” Robert said, patting Joseph’s back, “I hate to see you go, brother. You sure you don’t want to take advantage of those HSE courses and get your diploma? You’re welcome to stick around longer.”

  “Yeah. I need to start working. Thanks for introducing me to Mr. Hayes.”

  “Not a problem. I hope it goes well for you.” He pointed to the backpack the rescue mission had furnished Joseph with. “I wrote my name and phone number in the back of the Bible for you. If you ever need anything or just want to talk, I’ll be here. That is, unless the Lord calls me home.”

  Joseph quirked a brow. “You live here?”

  “Yep.”

  “You don’t have a family of your own?”

  He released a heavy sigh. “I did. I ruined it, though. I used to be into drugs and some really bad stuff before God saved me. I messed up a lot of things in my life—things that were meant to be blessings. I lost it all. But I found Jesus. Or, I should say, Jesus found me.” He smiled.

  “Where is your family? Did they die?”

  “No, they’re still alive. They live out in California somewhere, I think. My wife remarried and she seems happy now.”

  Joseph noticed a shimmer in Robert’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be. We all make our own choices and we’ve got to live through them. I just hope that you will make wiser choices with your life than I did.”

  Joseph nodded. “With God’s help.”

  “Yep. I wish I’d known Him sooner, but it seems like it takes a special set of circumstances for a man to reach out to God. Some of us have to come to the end of our rope before we see how much we need Him.”

  “I know what you mean. I never thought I’d end up here.”

  “Jonah, this isn’t the end. This is just the beginning. Keep your eyes open and you’ll be amazed to see how God works in your life.”

  “Really?” A sudden excitement welled within Joseph’s soul. Did God really have his life planned out? Would He really direct his steps? Surely, there were good things to come!

  “You just keep your nose in the Book and fix your eyes on Jesus.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Well, this is the new place where we’ll be working for the next few weeks.” Mr. Hayes grinned with pride. “What do you think, Jonah?”

  Joseph surveyed the land before him. Row after row of corn stretched out as far as his eye could see. Just how many
acres of land did this farmer own? Wow!

  Out of all the places they’d worked over the last two years, this one surely took the cake.

  “It’s amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who owned this much land.” Joseph shook his head.

  “Chances are, you won’t be meeting the owner of the Cornucopia Plantation either. He’s a busy man and he doesn’t spend a lot of time out in the fields. That’s why we were hired.”

  “Have you met him?” Joseph asked his boss.

  “Sure. He’s a pretty nice guy.”

  Joseph would love to have an opportunity to talk to the man and learn the secret of his success. Did he work for all this or had he inherited it? Either way, it was plain to see that God had prospered him.

  He couldn’t complain about his own circumstances, though. God had been very good to him. He saved up what he could, but getting ahead almost seemed like a pipe dream. He hoped to someday have more than the small apartment he inhabited now. One day, God willing, he’d like to have his own place, start a family of his own.

  He’d thought long and hard about going back to the Amish, possibly finding another district to join. But he knew how things worked in the Amish culture. Without a doubt, his family would discover that he was Amish again. His brothers would know he was still alive and well. If they didn’t find out through the leadership, or a letter from a friend or relative, they’d surely read it in The Budget. And that was something that he couldn’t chance.

  If he ever did have a family of his own, he wondered what it would look like. Would he marry an Englischer? Most likely. But there seemed to be so many differences in culture. He often felt like he was doing things backwards or the wrong way. Would an Englisch woman even be interested in an ill-mannered former-Amish man? He highly doubted it.

  He thought of the young women his age that he’d seen at church. For the life of him, he could never picture himself with one of them. Not that they weren’t nice. Or attractive. He just felt too different. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside for sure.