Bulletin

Out Of The Blue
David R. Ferguson

Out of the blue, a minister received a letter addressed to the congregation for which he was working. As he read it, he could not help but feel the beginning of a tear trickling from the corner of his eye. Here is what he read:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Years ago while I was still a teenager just out of high school, I found myself alone and in trouble because I was pregnant and unmarried. It was the lowest point in my life because I felt that I was so terrible, so morally degenerate, that God could never love me. I considered getting an abortion, and I even thought of taking my own life, thinking that doing so would solve all of my problems.

I talked with my boyfriend, and we both agreed we should seek counseling…but where should we go? And from whom shall we seek help? I do not remember exactly what brought us to your congregation, but I contacted the man who was minister there at the time, and he agreed to see us. I will never forget that the first thing he did was to pray for us. He did not lecture us, he did not condemn us, he just prayed for my boyfriend and me, and he prayed for the baby that, He said, God created. I remember being so moved when I heard him refer to what others had called a "non-viable fetus" as a baby that God had created it made me cry. How could I have ever considered taking the life of such a precious, innocent baby?

This minister counseled us, always keeping the Lord in the forefront, and he eventually performed the ceremony in which we were married. Your congregation threw a baby shower for me, even though neither I nor my husband were members. But I was struck at the love you showed me and my baby. Although I was grateful for what you did, I don't believe I ever really let you know just how much you meant to me.

Shortly after the baby was born, my new family and I moved from your area into another state. I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I are still together after 15 years, very much in love with each other, our three children, but most of all, the Lord. We gave our lives to our Lord and Savior shortly after arriving here, and we were both immersed into Christ. We do not believe we would be where we are today if it had not been for the true, Christian love your congregation and your minister showed us all those years ago. Even though we were engaging in activity outside the will of God, He turned our sin into the means of leading us to our salvation in Christ. Is there nothing the Lord can not accomplish? May He continue to bless you and your congregation!

We never know what fruit our efforts on behalf of the Lord will produce in His own good time. So as Paul reminds us, "And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)