Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [120]
I never thanked you for your handwritten note inside the Christmas card you left us. I was so flustered that day. But I just wanted you to know that I am a Christian. Jesus was my anchor when I lost a daughter to leukemia, giving me peace and hope to continue on.
Katy hadn’t even known she’d lost a daughter. Poor Mrs. Beverly. She quickly read on:
I remember how I’d wake in the middle of the night with a song on my lips, the words just what I needed to see me through the next day. The Lord has helped me to make the transition into a retirement facility. I always thought retirement centers were the end of the road, but knowing that I have heaven to look forward to, gives me joy.
With shock, Katy received Mrs. Beverly’s testimony into her heart. It rang of truth. As she took it in, she felt a heat in her bosom, like she had the previous Sunday at church. It was a confirmation that her past employer truly knew Jesus. The same Jesus Katy knew, for Mrs. Beverly had the same experience with Him, the reassuring songs that came in a time of despair. Surely, it was God’s way of showing her that Mrs. Beverly was a Christian. She stared at the letter with a new understanding of her past employer.
We aren’t ready to give up yet, however. We’re still golfing and enjoying life and good health. If you’re ever in Florida, stop in and see us.
Love,
Sonja Beverly
P.S. My friend, Betty Rucker, is a godly woman, too. But watch out for her husband, Herb. He’s a hopeless tease. Here’s Betty’s address and phone number, 777 Springtime …
Springtime? Katy’s jaw gaped. God couldn’t have made His reassurance any plainer had He penned it across the sky. Either God was exhibiting a sense of humor, or else He thought she needed things spelled out in a clear manner. This was her spring. This job was from Him. Another dream job, according to Mrs. Beverly, and working for a godly couple. An even better job, moneywise, than her other jobs. God had heard her prayers. Gripping the letter with both hands, Katy’s vision blurred, and her shoulders shook. She didn’t deserve this. She hadn’t even been trusting God. If anything, she’d been blaming Him. And here was God smiling down on her.
She felt ashamed for all the times she’d cleaned for Mrs. Beverly and felt sorry for her, assuming she wasn’t a Christian just because she was an outsider and did things Katy would never have the conscience to do. She remembered the embarrassing pictures on the paperback novels, and the R-rated movies. The dusty Bible. Perhaps Mrs. Beverly had kept a different Bible in her nightstand drawer? How could she have been so quick to judge? She didn’t understand it all, but she couldn’t doubt Mrs. Beverly’s sincerity. As she looked back, she remembered how the older woman always acted with love and kindness. How could Katy have been so blind?
Bitter remorse sickened her for all the times she’d judged outsiders. How many times had she dismissed people as if they were unredeemable? Suddenly her words came to her, the ones she’d spat out at Jake and their ensuing conversation: All outsiders are the same. She remembered his shock. That’s rather harsh. Isn’t it? And then she had lashed out at him. Or are you so close to them that you can’t see the difference? His description of her was accurate. Self-righteous…mean-spirited…good on the outside…unforgiving.
Katy brought her fist to her quivering mouth. Oh God. Forgive me. She’d been so wrong. So foolish. Crossing her arms on the table, she hid her face in their cradle and sobbed over her sins.
She saw her own ugliness, and as she prayed and asked for forgiveness and renewal, she felt God’s flames of love burning through her, cleansing her. She prayed and pleaded and thanked the One who was in control. She realized that only God deserved to be in control. She’d been wrong to usurp that privilege, trying to move other people like