I sit and listen as my friend Ingrid pours out her story. The tears are wet on her cheeks as she spells out this special time of her life… when the Lord reached out and touched her.
Ingrid had been raised in a home where church was a part of every Sunday. She had attended a Christian college where going to chapel was a part of every day, so on that special morning when God sent a messenger to question her faith, she thought she had all the answers.
He was about to change her mind.
Things had not gone well the last year. A patch up to her marriage had not lasted and she found herself in very dire circumstances. But a God who she didn’t really know was about to lead her into the most amazing adventure she had ever had.
That morning she sat watching her two small children play in their sand box. She had never felt so depressed in her life. And suddenly, there in the driveway stood a young man. He explained he was a student minister and wanted to ask her a few questions. What could she lose, she thought, so she answered his queries:
“Yes, of course I go to church. Every week. I sing in the choir and do other church activities.”
Then he asked, “If you died tomorrow, what reason would you give for being allowed into heaven?” She replied with a long list of positives. But somehow they were not the answers he wanted.
“Jesus has promised that all who follow him shall have eternal life,” he explained. “He has a plan for your life.”
Suddenly, all Ingrid’s poise and self – righteousness fell away and she sobbed, “What plan? My husband has left me, I have no job and I don’t know where I am going.”
Then in tears she opened the front door and they sat down in the living room. He explained that Jesus was not an historical character, he was a living being and that God loved her and promised he would be with her always. Ingrid had never thought of Jesus as her personal Saviour and she realized her whole life had been self – centred instead of God – centred and that she needed forgiveness.
They prayed together and in that moment Ingrid felt a lifting of her whole being, body and soul. It was a moment she will remember the rest of her life.
Most of us do not experience salvation in such an awesome way. It would be so wonderful to say that from that point on everything went well, that life was rosy with no problems. But God doesn’t always work that way.
There was reconciliation with her husband but that did not work and she suddenly found herself alone, in a strange town, knowing no one. She was not able to find work in her teaching field and ended up cleaning apartments. It was seven years before she got a full – time teaching position.
But those were not wasted years. They were learning years… learning about God and His love for her. She became involved in a Bible study group that allowed her to grow and stretch her faith. She met new Christian friends and eventually became a member of the Presbyterian Church and she has a deep faith that she is willing to share with others.
It wasn’t always easy but God’s timing had been perfect. He had had a plan for her and He had never forsaken her. And she knows now that He never will.
