Chang Shen

Chang Shen was a blind man, thirty-six years old, who lived in Manchuria in the late 1800s. A violent, hard-drinking man, he was a despised person. One day he heard that some foreign doctors at a hospital 120 miles away might be able to cure his blindness, so he set out alone on a mission to be healed. On the way, people took advantage of him, and he was beaten and robbed. Tragically, when he finally arrived at the hospital, he found out that the beds were full, and he was told to go away.

Where could he go? All he could do was to curl up in a doorway to sleep. The night watchman discovered him there and felt pity for him, so he went to the chief of the hospital and offered his own bed to the blind man.

Over the next month, the doctors treated Chang’s eyes, and he recovered some of his sight. But when he visited a local Chinese practitioner to find even more sight, the man pierced the pupil of Chang’s eye with a needle, which plunged him into total darkness.

But Chang Shen did receive a different kind of sight. While being treated at the hospital, he heard about the love of Jesus. He became a Christian and his life changed!

After being treated, Chang took some gospel tracts and went back home. As soon as he got back, he began to tell everyone about Jesus. But what an unlikely witness! He had such a bad reputation as a violent man!

Later, a missionary from the hospital traveled to see Blind Chang. When he arrived at the village, he found a thriving, small church.

In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion spread within China. This was an uprising against all foreigners and those who associated with them. Because Christianity was linked to Westerners, Chinese Christians were singled out for persecution. Many were imprisoned.

Chang asked to trade places with some of the believers who were to be executed. On July 22, 1900, Chang was put on a cart designed to transport animals and driven to his execution. As he went, he sang, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Just before the sword severed his neck, he cried out, “Heavenly Father, receive my spirit!”

At that moment of faith, not only did he witness to all around him of his love for God, but the first face he likely saw on the other side was that of Jesus!

Probably none of us will need the kind of boldness that God gave Chang, but whatever measure you need, God will provide. Paul writes,

“Pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should” (Ephesians 6:20).

Boldly doesn’t mean obnoxiously. Some of the most genteel women I know are the most effective at sharing their faith. They just let the Lord use them as they are—with their own personality traits—to open a spiritual conversation with a faith story that leads to telling the gospel. God has made you, and He will use you just as you are! He has provided you with faith moments that can be your opening to share Jesus with the people you know and meet.

One of the difficulties many Christians have in sharing their faith is that they let fear rule their hearts. But fear is the opposite of faith. Second Timothy 1:7,8 says,

“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”

Dear friend, boldly share the love of Jesus and watch Him work!

By Vonette Bright

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