Interview by Joyce Huang, Art by Jeff Yeh
Joyce: What is your testimony? How did you come to know Jesus personally?
Vicky: I have always been surrounded by Christian friends who never pushed me to believe in Christ. One day a friend from San Jose needed a ride to church. So I offered to take her there. Then she invited me to come along. Since I wasn’t doing anything in particular that day, I agreed to tag along. The next thing you know, I continued to go to that same church from then on. That was six years ago, and now here I am, serving as a small group leader.
Joyce: It’s amazing how God uses people in our lives. So now, who do you see Jesus as?
Vicky: I see Jesus as my daily helper. He is someone I go to daily. I need Him! Before going to work, I always pray. You know, I almost got into a few car accidents, and prayer really helped me avoid them. When I worry about work or serving at church as a small group leader, I always pray and ask Jesus to help me. For example, there was a girl in my small group that I was apprehensive to talk to. For some odd reason, I was scared to talk to her. Her personality was not very approachable, but I had to talk to her on a weekly basis. After asking God for help, I was able to overcome my fear. Now I always talk to her and our friendship has really deepened.
Joyce: It’s really precious that He was able to bring you two together. Can you tell me one story that illustrates how Jesus is your helper?
Vicky: I work in a big public company. Like many big companies, there are politics and sometimes people would say things behind your back to the boss or sabotage you. A specific incident was able to confirm for me how Jesus is my helper. A co-worker relocated from Canada and I helped her settle down. She had 2 grown kids, and didn’t really need to take that job offer, since her husband was working as well. She struggled a lot with living alone, and was even depressed. I tried to be friendly to her and would be one of the few people who would talk to her. One day after coming back from vacation, my boss called me in and asked me severely, “Did you say something that makes her (the lady) want to quit her job?” It completely caught me by surprise. Apparently, the co-worker thought I told her to quit during one of our conversations. She was having a hard time struggling with loneliness, and I genuinely suggested that if she didn’t want to be there, then she should think about going back home to where her family was. I didn’t know that she took it the wrong way and told my boss. This got escalated to HR, and they gave me a “point” on my record for misdemeanor behavior. I struggled a lot with this. I asked myself, “Where is justice?” After praying asking Jesus to be my helper, I was able to not harbor bitterness towards her. After a few months, she decided to quit, but this time she told people that it wasn’t my fault that she quit, rather, it was her own issues. Then God convicted me to not hold a grudge against the lady. If the Lord is willing, one day, when we see each other on the street again, I wouldn’t mind talking to her and ask how she’s doing.
Joyce: That is a very inspiring story. What are some of your fears and how have you overcome them?
Vicky: Some of my fears are how people see me, asking myself, “Does this person like me?”, and being a people pleaser. I really love this book: When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man by Edward Welch. This book reminds me that when I fear people, I make Jesus small. When I fear a person, I am replacing God with that person because I am focusing on the wrong thing. But God will take away this fear. Jesus has already overcome the world for you.
Joyce: Do you have any advice for the younger generation?
Vicky: Try to take Bible classes. God’s word helps a lot and His word is so powerful. When we are not turning to God’s word, we are turning to the secular world. I attend Bible Study Fellowship on Tuesday nights and learn a lot about the Bible there. I would also order materials and study these with a sister.
I once heard on the radio that Jesus always gets invited to dinners, and that’s how He parties. Be sure to be plugged into a support group or small group. This is where you can grow.
Don’t take life seriously. Why are people going around and being so serious all the time? Take it easy, leave everything to God. You still need to do your part, because God doesn’t want us to be lazy and just sit there; but we are to trust in Him, and not worry, because He is the greatest provider that anyone can ever ask for!
Vicky Ly is Chinese by ethnicity but moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1982. She came to know six years ago by the grace of God and is now serving as a small group leader at First Evangelical Church of Arcadia. Today, her fervent prayer is that she will be able to continue to support others, walk with others and learn more about our Savior everyday.
This is an article from RE:NEW Magazine Issue 2. Check out our digital magazines to read this in its original form or subscribe to have future issues delivered right to your doorstep!
- Jesus As Helper - September 18, 2012
Recent Comments