Her name was Angie. I don't know why exactly, but I've thought about her all week. Maybe it's because I've been studying the beatitudes from Matthew Chapter 5. Maybe it's because she was bright and beautiful - or because I loved to hear her pray. It could be the combination of all of these. One thing I know for sure - she had a powerful impact on my life.
Angie was a Christian woman who was part of our prayer group. Like so many people, she lived through many tough times. She saw a lot of the ugly side of life. Perhaps her bad experiences are what led her to make costly decisions. She didn't try to hide any of that. In fact she was quite honest about it. Maybe that is part of why I loved her so much.
In spite of all this, Angie was mostly a happy person. Her entrance into the prayer group revitalized us. She helped us understand how grateful we should be and how loving God is. Yes, as rough as her life had been - as terrible as things were for at times - Angie still saw the goodness of God. What an encouragement she was to us as she prayed for protection from evil and temptation - begging for the safekeeping of our souls!
The devil is so strong and he fights hard for those who belong to God. Let us never think we are immune to his tactics. May we never become so arrogant as to think the devil can't get to any of us. At a weak point in Angie's life she made contact with some old friends and fell back into a worldly lifestyle.
We lost touch with our sister for about two years. Yet we never stopped thinking about her and we NEVER stopped praying for her. She reached a low point. I guess one could say she "came to herself" much like the lost son did as he fed the swine in Luke 15. Angie reached out to the church. She wrote a letter asking for forgiveness.
Then she reached out to one of us -- who straightway shared with all of us. We knew God forgave Angie as soon as she asked. God loves us all and He wants is to be with us; but we have to want that too. We visited her and witnessed her transformation. We saw her humble spirit and knew all she wanted now was to serve and obey God.
Angie began to work for the Lord once again. She talked to others about Christ at every opportunity. She helped convert at least two women to Christianity. She endured the consequences of her misdeeds yet she rejoiced in her service to the Father.
She never once made excuses for herself. She didn't try to hide from her sins. Yet Angie glowed with happiness! She rejoiced in God's forgiveness. Angie remembered where she had been - but she also knew where she was going! She knew who she once was without Christ and who she became with Him.
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? ..... And such were some of you. But you were washed, but your were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
(I Corinthians 6:9a, 11 NKJV)
The thing is all of us ought to be like Angie. We should understand we are nothing without God. We should all remember we've been. Angie's misdeeds weren't any more or less worse than any of the rest of ours. All sin is missing the mark. Any sin separates us from God. None of us are any better than the rest of us. And none of us are safe from the danger of temptation and sin.
Angie knew this. Perhaps it is why she encouraged everyone she knew. Maybe this is the reason she talked to so many people about Jesus. She knew how easy it was to fall away. She also knew the joy of forgiveness. Her happiness was as full as the woman in Luke 15 who found the lost coin.
The prayer group was only able to meet with our precious sister one more time before she unexpectedly left this world. It was such a precious and wonderful time. Once again, she revitalized us. She made us feel loved and happy at the very time we were trying to make sure she knew how much we loved her. We were so happy to be with her once again.
As we were leaving that night, Angie looked at me and said, "Robin - I'm never going back to my old life." I knew she meant it. I will never forget the determination in her eyes -- the resolve in her voice.
I loved Angie for many reasons -- too many to tell really -- but one of those reasons is because she helped me remember where I would be without God. She helped me realize how thankful I was for His mercy and grace. Her joy was contagious and through her I realized I should never forget that joy.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs in the kingdom of heaven"
(Matthew 5:3)
Christ above all things,
Robin
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