Virginia Schmick

The business world is a very challenging place for a young Christian woman to work. I found that out! But if you have a purpose to stand true to the Lord, He will help you meet every challenge.

During my business career, unusual predicaments confronted me from time to time. But God was always there to solve my problems. Sometimes, He would completely reverse a situation or remove the difficulty.

I worked as a secretary for attorneys, accountants, and other professional people in both private and government offices. As personnel assistant to the Labor Relations Officer, in a large federal office, I had many challenging experiences.

The manager’s duties often took him out of the city. Then it was my responsibility to make important decisions concerning labor union disputes, or employees’ problems on the job. When the telephone rang I never knew what problem or hard-to-answer question would be presented to me from the other end of the line.

Alone, I would have felt inadequate. But I was not alone! The Lord was there—only a prayer away. With the receiver to my ear, I would lift my heart in silent prayer and ask God to help me. It seemed He would put the words into my mouth, and then the answer I gave would prove to be the right one. At the close of the day, I could leave for home with a song of praise and gratitude in my heart.

This inner peace has been mine since I prayed and received God’s forgiveness for my sins. My mother was a devoted Christian and lived an exemplary life before my sister and me. She taught us early in life to read the Bible and pray, and she emphasized the importance of giving my heart and life to the Lord.

When the Lord first began talking to me about my soul’s welfare, I was a carefree schoolgirl. But fear gripped my heart sometimes when I pillowed my head at night, knowing I was not ready to meet the Lord. I was shielded from many sins and evils of the world, had no serious trouble to worry about, but I knew I must make a decision that would affect my whole life. Would I repent, give my life to God, and serve Him? Or would I just go my own way?

One night I knelt at my bedside, confessed my sins to Jesus, and asked Him to come into my heart. He heard that prayer and wonderfully saved me. I felt the joy of His forgiveness. Peace filled my heart—the peace that only Jesus can give. From that time on I served Him to the best of my ability.

When in the fourth grade of school, I became very ill with a blood infection which caused abscesses. I was out of school for six months. The doctor told my mother that I would never be well again. He said there was no cure for me, but Mother trusted God. She asked the ministers to pray for me. The next day, when she took the bandages off to change them, the abscesses were all healed. New skin replaced the infected places and not even a scar was left!

This inner peace has been mine since I prayed and received God’s forgiveness for my sins.

Mother and I wept and praised the Lord together. It was truly a miracle. In a week, I was back in school and never troubled with that disease again.

Years later, painful arthritis in my hands and knees became a severe trial. I was off work for awhile, and finally went to a doctor in order to get more sick leave. He said my condition was serious and he wanted me to go to a hospital for observation and tests. He could promise no relief, though, for there was no cure for arthritis.

The Lord had healed me so many times before that I was determined to trust Him again. I did not go to the hospital. The ministers of the church prayed for me according to the Bible instructions in James 5:14 and 15. I prayed and renewed my consecrations to the Lord. The assurance was in my heart that I would be healed, even if not immediately.

One Sunday afternoon my faith was rewarded. While praying in a young people’s service, the Lord touched me. Instantly all pain was gone. On reaching home, I ran up the steps and exclaimed to my mother, “I’m healed!” She answered, “You must be. You haven’t run up the stairs like that for months.” There is gratitude in my heart to the Lord that I can kneel in prayer and walk without pain.

Another time, a heavy piece of iron fell on my foot, badly bruising it and breaking a bone. I suffered excruciating pain—it was almost unbearable. My mother helped me into the house and she and my sister prayed earnestly for me. Again the Lord was only a prayer away. Soon the pain let up. Though my foot was in a cast for awhile, I never lost a night’s sleep because of it.

One day at my work, I heard others talking about the pain they had suffered with broken bones—there seemed to be a rash of accidents about that time. Some had had to take pain killers and sleeping pills for a long time. I had a praise well up in my heart to God for the way He took care of me and removed the pain so quickly.

Today, after having retired from government work, I am free to do what the Lord calls me to do. Through the years I have played in the church orchestra, sung in the choir, taught Sunday school, and now I have the added privileges of helping in the church office and home missionary visitations. I can tell the young and the elderly that Jesus is the One on whom we can fully depend as a Guide, Counselor, Healer, and Friend.

Yes, the Christian life is a challenge—never monotonous. Jesus truly is the joy of living!