I met a darling young woman a few months ago and I am still thinking about her. In our discussion, she revealed that she had been a prostitute and drug user. Hard core. In fact, she had only been out of prison for a short time. She spent two years behind bars but amazing things can happen with a captive audience. God paid her a visit. She's now a believer and very fresh in her walk.
She told me that she recently made a mistake, a big mistake. She slept with her ex. All I could say was, "Oooh." Her eyes welled up with tears as she said, "No, it's worse. He's married now." This time I said, "Oooooooh." She continued, tears streaming down her face, "What is wrong with me? I never had a problem with sleeping with someone. I slept with hundreds of men...most married...and I never gave it a thought. I didn't care."
This time, I had an answer that involved actually using words. "Sweet thing, from this point on, if you ever have a doubt about your salvation ... if you ever doubt that God has adopted you as His daughter and calls you His beloved ... if you ever wonder if you will get to spend eternity with Him in heaven ... then, think upon this moment. When you said 'yes' to the gift of grace found in the person of Jesus, you became a new creation. You will not think the same nor want to behave as you did in your past because you now have the Holy Spirit living within you. He will lead you and speak truth to you. Sometimes that means, you will be reminded of who you are in Christ and those are the sweetest of moments. But sometimes, He will convict you of your sinful choices. That is why you, my sister in Christ, feel bad. What you did was wrong. But our God is a God of second-chances. What's done is done. Today is a new day filled with His compassion."
I received a beautiful gift from this delightful daughter of the King. She gave me a vivid picture of God's power to redeem what is lost and restore what has been stolen. He made beauty from ashes.
It was a random meeting. I will probably never see her again ... on this this side of heaven. But one day, we can share notes about what God can do with divine appointments.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
2 comments:
You my Love, are a blessing. Not just to me but to those who are fortunate to come across you.
What a beautiful illustration of God's restoration process. You my loving friend gave a purpose for her guilt identified as another one of God's tender mercies! Powerful & tender, thank you.
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