Monday, September 13, 2010

Not the Craigslist Killer, But the Craigslist Healer

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Every night when I make dinner for my family, I look over at the large, empty space in my dining room. After 6 months in my new house, I still don’t have a kitchen table! Every evening, my beautiful, large family gathers around our breakfast bar trying to find a place to eat!

I was determined last week that I was going to find myself a table. I have no idea why I chose that day…John was at work and he would probably shoot me if I went to buy a table without him. But I jumped on Craigslist and saw the most beautiful table I had ever seen and it had just been posted on the site minutes before. It was a hand-crafted, beautifully carved wood table with 8 perfectly padded chairs. I immediately got on the phone to call before someone else bought it.

I called the number on the ad and the woman answered and told me to come over. Johnny hadn’t been feeling good that morning, so he was home from school. My girls were comfortably snuggled on the couch ready to take a nap. I thought it was a perfect time to slip away to go look at this table that would fill this large hole in my dining room.

I arrived at the address and went in to look at the table. It was even more beautiful in real life than it was in the pictures. It was beautifully carved wood and perfect condition. As I looked over the table, I started talking to Lisa, the lady who was selling the table. In the middle of our small talk, she shared that she had been pregnant with quadruplets at an advanced age and only two of the babies survived. They were now four years old. She said she had been going through a very awful menopause and felt at times she might be going crazy. One minute, she was depressed and the other minute she was happy. She said it had been an extremely difficult time for her and for her husband.

I felt for her. I remember the days of feeling depression and having so much anxiety that weighed me down to the point of not being able to function. "And I’m about to be going through a very nasty divorce,” Lisa said matter-of-factly. It took me by surprise how she said it. It was so bold how she said it, but the Lord showed me in an instant she was deeply wounded in her heart. She shared with me that she felt that divorce might be the way they needed to go because her husband just couldn’t take it anymore. “If that’s what he needs to do, then that’s what he needs to do,” she said. I could literally see the wall that she had up trying to protect her broken heart and I could see that she was just frustrated and hurt. Then I asked her, “How long have you known that you were getting divorced?” I was shocked when she answered me that they had just decided they were going to get divorced that day. As I looked over the table, I realized the reason I was there had nothing to do with this beautiful table.

Lisa walked me out and I let her know I couldn’t make a decision on the table without my husband seeing it. When I looked at her sadness, I just felt so much compassion for her and her situation. I started to share with her that our husbands really thrive on the respect that we have for them and we as wives thrive on love. She answered me back, “I want to be respected too. I am sick of not being respected by him.” I knew she was so wounded and my heart went out to her.

I knew at this point, the only thing she really needed from me was to know that Jesus loved her. She felt unloved by her husband, but there was One whose love never failed. So I told her, “Lisa, Jesus loves you more than you know and He has thought about you before you were ever born. He loves you and wants to spend time with you and heal your heart and your marriage.” When I said these words to her, she just broke down and I saw the tears start coming down her face. The love of Jesus is just such a matchless love. In the midst of her feelings of being unloved, just knowing that Jesus loved her seemed comforting.

I let her how my life was before Jesus and that one day, God brought me someone to tell me that Jesus wanted to change my life. I said, “Lisa, I don’t think I’m here about the table. I think God sent you someone like he sent for me.” Right there, I shared with her the beautiful gospel of peace and salvation and I prayed with her as she accepted Jesus Christ into her life as her Lord and Savior. She said that morning, she was sitting out on her patio and she was crying out to God and God is so faithful to have answered her. Jesus was her answer.

1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,” Now Lisa had this hope, the same hope that I have to hold on to. Lisa had been a Jehovah’s Witness for 15 years and when she got out of the church, she didn’t really want anything to do with God. She had family who tried to get her to go to a Christian church with them, but she said she just wasn’t ready. “You know what I’m going to do?” Lisa proclaimed, “I’m going to call my family who has been trying to get me to go church with them and tell them what happened today,” She called her mom and her cousin and said, “You are never going to guess what happened to me today? I got saved!” On the other end of the phone, they were crying because they were so happy for her! Lisa was now able to give a defense for the hope that had entered her heart and share with others.

That same evening, John and went back to her house to look at the table and this woman was such a different person. She had so much joy on her face when four hours before, she looked so desolate and empty and void of joy. It was truly a beautiful picture of God’s grace and forgiveness and restoration.

She shared with us that after I had left her house earlier, she went in to talk with her husband and they were able to talk things through and the Lord restored the division between them. I was so blessed at the beauty and power of Jesus Christ. I am just amazed that this powerful Father has adopted me into His family.

The funny thing was, we didn’t end up getting the table! But God did something so profound in this woman’s life. I was just looking for a table, but God was looking to answer someone’s prayer. Allowing me to even be a part of His work, is just so humbling. While I was thinking of a table, Jesus was thinking of Lisa. I was so touched deep in my soul when Lisa told me, “I will never forget what happened here today.” For me, years may go on, and I may even forget about what happened with Lisa, but Jesus…He will never forget.

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