Thursday, March 02, 2006

The Witness

You should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.--Matthew 5:16

PART 1-
There we sat, in a tiny room, waiting for the mediator to finish talking to my husband and his lawyer. My lawyer was in his 60's, Jewish, and a tough, wiry, little man. To distract myself from the voices in the next room, I asked him about his family. He had been married for years and years and happily told stories of his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. Out of the blue he said to me, "There is something different about you--you aren't like most other clients." I just sat and looked questioningly at him. "The way you talk, your concern that your child maintains a good relationship with her father, the decisions you have made...very different from what I usually see." I almost laughed. Could it be that the resentment and bitterness that I constantly wrestled with hadn't been noticed yet? Or could it be....Lord, could it actually be....despite this struggle...you still want to use me?? Instead of laughing, I said, "Would you mind if I shared some things with you?..."

You should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.--Matthew 5:16

PART 2 -

Out of four children, I am the only Christian. I am also the only one of my siblings who is divorced. For years I have been telling them about Jesus, trying to live my life in such a way that it would draw them the Christ. Now my life was in shambles. Nothing that anyone would look at and say, "Gee, I want what she has!"

I couldn't be more wrong. Nothing, Nothing, NOTHING....has witnessed to my family like my brothers and sisters in Christ have. I didn't realize they were watching when The Church brought us groceries...fixed my car...gave me a job...moved my ex-husband into his new house because he had no friends or family to help him...poured resources and support into my life...gifted us with Christmas presents (several times)...surprised me with a bed when I didn't have one and slept in a sleeping bag on the floor...made repairs on my house...moved me out of my house...and ministered to us in so many ways that the list could go on and on.

I keep the Christmas card my youngest brother sent me this year in my Bible. Over and over he has told me that he is amazed by my friends. In his card he expressed, yet again, that he has never seen anything like the people I have in my life. I smile every time I read it because I know what he has almost, but not quite, discovered yet...he is seeing Jesus!

You should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.--Matthew 5:16



1 comment:

Hepzibah The Watchman said...

Wow - what a great story. May God bless you indeed.