As I sat across from *Tabitha, I found myself marveling at God's goodness in her life. She sat at my kitchen table sharing her life and testimony with me. She then told me a story that touched my heart and convicted me at the same time.
She told me of a day before she was saved - the day she met a Christian lady. The lady knew Tabitha's mom - knew her mom had been praying for the salvation of her daughter. Tabitha told me how this lady had given her a hug and told her, "I love you." She continued her story by telling me how strange this seemed to her - a lady she didn't know telling her she loved her. As Tabitha continued, she shared some of her past. She told me how the lady's words had affected her. She had heard those words from people in the world, but this time was different. She explained how she could sense that this "I love you" was different - these words were sincere - they held weight - and they lingered in her heart and mind long after they had been spoken. Tabitha told me how odd she had felt - how strange it was that every time she met this lady, the lady would give her a hug and say, "I love you." She told me that this lady was the first person she had ever met in her entire life that had spoken those words to her - and meant it. She went on to share how she had gotten saved at a Youth Meeting. She told me how the first three messages had little affect on her heart. then she head the fourth message. It was on the theme of "Love." "Hmmm," she had thought. "How interesting…was this not the same thing that lady kept saying to her?" God used that message to convict her heart. She hesitated, then decided - she would accept Christ as her Saviour. Like a modern-day Mary Magdalene, she accepted the unconditional love of the Saviour. She placed her faith in Him as her Redeemer. She was saved, and from that moment on her life was changed. She is now a trophy of grace - determined to follow her Saviour, and never go back to the mire of the world.
I sat there, listening to her story, mesmerized by this young woman's testimony of love in action. I sat there convicted. I was convicted for all the times when I have failed to show Christ's love to the lost. I was convinced of the difference the words "I love you" could make in the life of someone drifting in a world of sin. I sat there with tears in my eyes - challenged by the thought of how much that lady loved Tabitha. The lady had known nothing of Tabitha's past, yet she said, "I love you." Because of Tabitha's mom, the lady had only known that Tabitha needed Christ and needed someone to show her the love of Christ. I found myself wondering what kind of influence I could have on the lost world around me, simply by showing Christ's love and saying to the unloveable, "I love you" - and meaning it.
*Name has been changed.
Wow! So true.
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