A friend asked me to write a letter to her 24-year-old son who was cohabitating with his girlfriend. “Tell him he’s living in sin—he won’t listen to me!”
Coincidentally, I wanted to write him anyway! Ron and I had recently talked and he’d expressed his disappointment in organized religion. He was restless, frustrated and searching for meaning to life.
I wrote, “Ron, you’ve been on my mind ever since we talked. Is it because I believe that you and your girlfriend are living in sin? No. In fact, your lifestyle is no different from many your age. According to the Bible, we are all sinners.
“I’m concerned that you are unhappy and frustrated with life. Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ You don’t seem to recognize your need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
“I’m not talking about church here. I believe someday you will turn to Jesus Christ. You will receive His forgiveness and will want to surrender your life to Him. You will then receive the Holy Spirit who will come to live within. God will begin to speak to your heart and show you how He wants you to live. He’ll also give you the power and the desire to do His will. That is when you will begin to experience the wonderful peace and contentment you are seeking…”
What a surprise when six weeks later we received an invitation to their wedding! A few weeks later we received a note from his bride: “I don’t want you to think we decided to marry because of your letter. But I can’t say it was not the reason either. Thank you.”
Ron and his wife became followers of Jesus. They are raising their four children in the Lord. They teach Sunday school and are leaders in their church.
- I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
- For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:5
[Would you have responded to a friend’s request to write to her son? To leave a comment, simply click on the story’s TITLE, then scroll to bottom of page.]
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Kathleen, how precious the fragrance you shared that became a bunch of beautiful roses in the Kingdom of God.
Thank you for your beautiful comment.
Hi Kathleen, you ask the question would I (we) write a letter for a friend. The first thought that came to my mind was, are we (I) the kind of servants of GOD that would prompt a friend to ask us to write a letter to a loved one? You are clearly that servant.
Hmm… Perhaps. That’s an interesting thought, David. Thank you for your confidence. I do believe, however, that God was helping me write that letter. If He can help me, then He can help others.
Kathleen, Previously I would not have known how to reply, but since you have become my mentor, I would trust that God would give me the right words for the situation. That kind of faith is hard, but our God does deliver and has, over and over again.
It’s true, Susan. Trusting God is what the Christian life is all about. He wants us to trust Him and allow Him to work through us. He will.