Christian blog posts

Catherine Mumford was a sickly child from birth. Actually, she was so fragile and unwell for her entire life, yet within her, burned something that rendered such frailty to look insignificant. Her compassion, her care and love for the word of God made her blossom in the midst of crisis.

Since she was indoors and confined to her room most of the time, she learnt to read by herself at the age of 3. Whenever her mum was in the house doing her normal chores, Cate would stand on a stool in the house and read from the family bible loudly. By the time she was 12, she had read the bible loudly 8 times, and cover to cover.

Since her condition demanded she spends more time indoors, and lying down flat, she was late to join school. Actually, she went to school at 12 but sad to say, at 14,she was diagnosed with a severe disease of the spine, and had to drop from school again. The only remedy for this condition, as the doctors advised, was to lie flat for three months while her body healed itself. During such moments, her mother noticed her desire for reading anything and everything, and thus she removed any ungodly materials in the house, and stuffed her with godly articles, books and everything Christian.

later, Cate says, and i quote,” I thank God i came to know the bible for myself, which i recommend for you. She continues,” Don’t imagine that the repugnant views of the character of God, which have been forced upon you by professed theologians will form any excuse for your rejection of his book or of the devine authority of it in the great day of account. God will say,” had you not light for yourself?

What many people do not know, is that later in her adult life, Cate got married the famous preacher of the 18th century called William Booth. Booth met Cate and fell inlove with her, not much because of her condition, but because of her wisdom in dividing the word of God. As they dated, Mr Booth considered her as her counselor and thus, he would come to ask her for counsel whenever he wanted to confirm a certain truth in God’s word. Cate came to know Jesus early because of her interaction with God’s word. Later, after marrying Booth, she wanted to be the underground person, silent intercessor of her husband, as he ministered, but that was not in the plan of God.

One day, she sat in the middle of church with her son, obviously hiding from public view, and her Husband on the pulpit about to preach, then she heard the Holyspirit say to her, ” If you were to go and testify, you know i would bless it to your soul as well as the souls of those hearing it. Yes Lord, she responded, i believe you would but i cannot do it! When she said no, she says she could hear like the devil nagging her not to go and speak. You will look foolish, and you know you can’t speak, satan nagged her the more! Cate was suddenly in a battle of choices between obeying satan’s voice or God’s voice through the Holyspirit. In her heart, she responded,” i have never been willing to be a fool for Christ ,and now i will be one. She leaped on her feet suddenly and matched to the pulpit. He husband was stunned. He looked bewildered, and when she reached the pulpit, she just told him ,” i want to say a word, and turning to the congregation, he said,” my dear wife wants to speak.

With humility, Cate confessed her sins of disobedience and repented of her desire to live a private life of just raising children as her man preached, and asked God for forgiveness in the midst of the congregation. After her confession, the Husband asked her to preach for the evening service, and many came to hear her speak the word of God. Later, Catherine Booth became the most famous woman in the ministry more than her husband. She also got so many invitations to speak to women and other church groups more than her husband. She was the pillar that God prepared in her sickbed, for future glorious moments in his kingdoms work.

Beloved, are you put down by a condition that has refused to go for yrs? Do you have blood sugar, Sickle cell disease or even a physical handicap that has tamed you in the house and from the outside world? Is your condition so worse that you must visit clinics often and buy off-the counter medications and etc? Is your condition like the one of Cate, who had such a weak heart and spine that she had to endure so much pain, as she served the Lord? My question is, how is your reaction to this condition? Do you blame God, or like Catherine, you taking advantage of the bad moments to know your God and his word more, and in a better way? Sometimes we may not understand why God has allowed this conditions into our lives, but we have the option to respond to it positively or negatively?

Paul, as we know was the most famous New Testament bible preacher, but the unfortunate thing is, he had a condition that could not go. He says he had “a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan that tomented him. Three times, he continues,” I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me but God’s answer to him was direct, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, he says in Jubilation,” I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, he continues, “for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. [2 Corinthians 12:8-10].

In this life, there is always a reason as to why God has put you in certain circumstances. We may not have a full view of everything but be sure GOD has a reason for everything we are going through! He knows us in and out but the big question is,” are we prepared, while in that condition, like Catherine Booth, to prepare ourselves in advance, for what God has for us in future? Don’t look God in the face with anger and wish to commit suicide for no reason. God knows the answer to the why’s of our human heart, and if we cared to listen, we will realize that grounding ourselves in the word of God, matters more than any sicknesses that come with life.

Our God knows everything, and as he helped Catherine minister in that condition, he definitely has your backing too. He loves you and he cares for you more than you can even imagine. I urge everyone fighting one condition or another to remove all the destructions in your life and concentrate on God and his word, because your future has its Genesis from the same. Have a blessed evening and week ahead