I followed the testimony of a young woman who was intelligent, lively, beautiful, and in love with God. Her past is quite a story. Born to the daughter of a prostitute and a former alcoholic, she had a most unhappy childhood. Her parents had five children and lived in extreme poverty, regularly being evicted from their homes. There was very little to eat and often little or no water for washing. Her father relapsed into alcoholism and eventually descended into drug use and became a trafficker. The result: frequent stays in prison.
From a very young age, she had already decided to get out of it through studies. She worked very hard at school and was involved in all extracurricular activities. The goal was to have a solid resume and get a scholarship. Her parents divorced after 20 years of marriage, her mother remarried a very violent man, and she ended up leaving him. For the first time, she was able to find a decent job and moved into a tiny apartment with four of her children. During this period, the young woman began to ask questions, to doubt everything, to look for love, and ended up using drugs herself. One day, after an overdose, she felt a slap in the face and realized that she had become like the other members of her family.
In the meantime she knew a young girl from the same school, a young girl from a good family, happy and comfortable in her own skin, the antithesis of herself. This young woman had invited her dozens and dozens of times to her youth program and continued to invite her without being discouraged by her refusals. At this time in her life when she felt she was hitting rock bottom, she decided to accept the invitation, why not, she told herself, she had tried everything else. She attended the program, received a Bible which she was invited to read regularly while taking notes in a notebook, which she did her best to do.
Gradually everything changed, she met God, she understood that she was loved by God and began to grow spiritually. She attended a month-long camp where she met a couple who invited her to their area to spend the summer. She ended up staying there for 6 years, they taught her everything. They literally changed her life. She then went to Bible school where she met the man who is now her husband, a pastor's son. She, the granddaughter of a prostitute, from a family of drug addicts and alcoholics, today works for a church, alongside her husband who is a worship leader.
The path that led her to this life of grace was all prepared for her, everything necessary had been done by Christ, but someone had to bring her there, someone had to show her. In her case, it was her young friend who, despite her repeated refusals, kept inviting her and re-inviting her until the day she finally accepted. It was also the couple who took her in hand to make her a true disciple and directed her towards Bible school. It was also her husband, the young man who did not let himself be discouraged by their very different pasts, but saw in her the woman God intended for him.
Who is on your path today that you are called to guide on the path of Jesus? What moral, spiritual, or other distress are you called to relieve today simply by pointing your finger at Jesus. No matter a person's current condition, if you see them with God's eyes, you will see them saved, restored, and victorious. Do not be discouraged by their indifference, their hostility, or even sometimes their mockery, because when God acts in these lives, these testimonies are the most powerful and moving, so persist. And who knows, perhaps one of your protégés will stand up one day to testify between two sermons. Shalom!
