Strength Beyond What Is Normal​—How They Found It

DEATH in a family is a painful experience. When the death is that of a child, it is even more so. But what if after suffering the untimely loss of your child you were accused of criminal negligence? What if people called you a murderer, your employer decided to dismiss you, your neighbors turned against you? How would you feel? What would you do? Surely, it would be a time when strength beyond what is normal would be needed.

A Sudden Crisis

This was the experience of Dennis and Bernadette Cyrenne in a small mining town in northern Ontario, Canada. It started when their 12-year-old daughter, Sara, suddenly got sick with a rare blood disease. At the local hospital the doctor recommended blood transfusions. Because of their respect for God’s law regarding life and blood, and on account of medical information they have acquired over the years, they decided against the treatment.​—Genesis 9:4; Acts 15:28, 29.

Hoping to find some alternative, they rushed Sara 250 miles (400 km) to Thunder Bay, only to find the same response from the doctors there. Continuing their search, they took Sara out of the hospital. Eight hours later Sara’s struggle for life came to an end. For her parents this was only the beginning.

Mounting Pressures

Immediately they were charged with reckless conduct for abducting their daughter from the hospital and with criminal negligence in connection with her death. They were to return home and wait until the time of the trial.

Back home, news of Sara’s death and the charges got around the small community quickly. Pictures and reports appeared in the papers, and the ‘terrible things’ they did became the talk of the town. Life became very difficult for the Cyrennes.

Within two weeks some women of the town got together a petition, demanding that Bernadette’s employer fire her, or else they would boycott the store. So she lost her job. Everywhere they went they met people who spoke badly of them, called them murderers, told them that they were unwelcome and should be driven out of town.

How would you feel in their position? When everyone seems to be against you, who can you turn to for help? “It wasn’t always easy to be walking down the streets with your heads up,” said Bernadette. “But we did it, because we knew what we had done was the right thing and that we had Jehovah God on our side.” Why did she say that? What made them feel that way?

Sources of Strength

Right from the start, things that they had learned from the Bible kept coming back to their minds and helped them in making their decisions. Dennis later related that, while at the hospital, the scripture of James 2:24 kept coming into his mind. It says: “You see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone.” This helped him to realize that even though he knew what the Bible says about a certain matter, it is the carrying out of it that counts. So there was never any doubt in his mind as to what he should do.

Apparently his wife, Bernadette, felt the same way, because when he told her his decision, she responded without hesitation: “Go right ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” That, for a fact, was most encouraging and reassuring to him.

Meanwhile, the love, prayers and support of Christians in Thunder Bay made them feel that they “were never alone” though they were far from home. “The brothers were so loving toward us,” said Dennis. “They offered to help financially and spiritually, and we could feel the effect of their prayers behind us.”

Among those who helped was Peter Cramb, an elder of the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was on the scene the moment the Cyrennes arrived at the hospital and remained with them all through the ordeal. Even though he knew full well that this might mean getting himself involved in a lawsuit, he stood by them. As it turned out, criminal charges were also brought against him.

With the court appearance looming ahead, Peter and the Cyrennes were under a great deal of pressure and anxiety. Although they knew Jesus had promised his disciples that they will be given what to say, and so need not be anxious, the Cyrennes realized that this did not mean that they had nothing to do but wait. (Mark 13:11) To the contrary, for more than a year they studied and restudied everything having to do with their decision. The comfort from the Scriptures, particularly texts such as Hebrews 13:6 and Psalm 84:11, was faith strengthening to them during this period of time.

Rewarding Experiences

Though many of the people in the community reacted negatively, some seemingly bad experiences turned out to be most encouraging and rewarding. Bernadette related one about a woman who worked in a local restaurant. “She made it her business to be very loud in the shop, calling me a murderer, saying that I was no good and nobody liked me,” recalled Bernadette. “There was nothing that she didn’t say.” At about this time the woman’s 18-year-old son was arrested, tried and jailed for blowing up a policeman’s car.

One day Bernadette and the traveling overseer’s wife, Helen, came upon the woman’s house in their door-to-door ministry. “If I can face this woman,” thought Bernadette, “I’ll be all right.” So they knocked on the door.

“No, I’m not interested,” the woman responded in a condescending tone of voice as soon as she saw who her visitors were. She was ready to shut the door.

Determined not to let the matter end there, however, Bernadette tactfully replied, “Mrs. M​——, I’ve really been thinking about you and I am so sorry about the troubles you’ve had.”

“Yeah?” the woman responded, taken by surprise. “Oh, please come in.”

For the next 20 minutes she poured out her heart and could not stop talking about her son. Sensing the situation, Helen interrupted and said calmly, “Mrs. M​——, you have your son, but she doesn’t have her daughter.”

With that, the conversation turned to a discussion of what the Bible says about death and the resurrection, and how it helped Bernadette to endure all the pressures and hardship. This, along with the unselfish love shown to the woman, in spite of what she had done, completely softened her attitude.

Later, at the time of the Cyrenne trial, the woman came to the courthouse. It was the same courthouse where her son was convicted. At their son’s trial only she and her husband were present. But this time the room was jammed with over 260 people, all very concerned about the Cyrennes. That was a real witness to her. In fact, she was so moved that she embraced Bernadette.

Dennis related how Jehovah provided encouragement in unexpected ways. During the months before the trial, he often thought about what would happen to his job and his house, which he bought through the mining company, if he had to go to jail. When he brought this up to his manager, the manager simply said: “Don’t worry, Dennis. Don’t even mention such a thing. People like you don’t go to jail.”

One of his young co-workers remarked that it must have been very trialsome when people were so unfriendly. “Some even said they would shoot you if they had the chance,” he added. After explaining briefly, Dennis suggested that the co-worker read Isaiah 50:7 and 9 when he got home. As a result, this young man and his family accepted a regular Bible study and started to attend Christian meetings at the local Kingdom Hall.

Though having been a Witness for some 25 years, Peter Cramb felt the experience taught him what it means to rely on Jehovah. It gave real meaning to the psalmist’s words: “To Jehovah I called in the distress of mine, and he proceeded to answer me. O Jehovah, do deliver my soul from false lips, from the tricky tongue.”​—Psalm 120:1, 2.

The Verdict

Three months after the trial, the case was decided by the district court in Thunder Bay. All three defendants were acquitted of the criminal charges. Although the judge did not agree with their Bible-based view regarding blood, he acknowledged that their decision “was not capricious or dogmatic but was based on a genuine belief.”

Also, the judge found the contemptuous attitude of some of the townspeople unjustified. He stated in his opinion: “Bernadette Cyrenne . . . appeared to me to be a sincere, loving and compassionate mother living a sound and civilized family life. Indeed, the family life aspect of the Cyrenne household was one that any Christian family could well emulate.”

To the Cyrennes and to Peter the experience has reinforced their conviction that “Jehovah himself will not hold back anything good from those walking in faultlessness.” (Psalm 84:11) They have seen firsthand God’s love, power and wisdom in action through the hope and comfort from his Word, the Bible, and the tireless support of fellow Christians. This, more than all else, was the source of their strength beyond what is normal.​—2 Corinthians 4:7.