This past June, I visited my family at my grandparent’s farm. On my way driving back home, I felt God wanted me to go into a certain bar. When I stepped inside, I took a seat and struck up a conversation with the bartender. She was sweet, but there was something very sad about her. You could tell she’d been down a hard road. I spoke a little about my past as an agnostic and how God made himself very real to me. I asked The Lord, What do you want me to say to her? I felt He wanted me to tell her a few of my faults. I thought to myself, that’s kind of weird? So, I started confessing some struggles I have, and when I did this, she started to open up about her past: She told me that her grandfather was a pastor and the people in the church ostracized she and her mother. Her mom struggled with depression and got hooked on prescription drugs. She also told me about becoming a dancer and going on a dark decent into depression.
I believe the Lord wanted me to confess my faults and be a little vulnerable so she wouldn’t feel like I was going to judge her. God knows the poor girl had probably been through the mill regarding the self-righteous folks!
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I then started to feel God’s compassion for her. I felt The Lord wanted me to write down a verse from a song.
I took a napkin and wrote the following:
“Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you to come home. Come home, you who are weary, come home.”
I ran out to the car for something and when I came back in, she was standing there and gave me a big hug! I told her Jesus loved her and she was precious to Him.
There are physical “wounded warriors” but also “spiritual wounded warriors” that have been hurt by people in the church, and the Pharisees of today. These tares have portrayed God with a “hammer” instead of a “heart” to seek and save that which is lost; prostitutes, drunks, thieves, drug addicts, liars; in fact, every last one of us, He wants to save and become our heavenly father.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Luke 5:32 “I have not called those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
God has really been teaching me a lot about his love and mercy lately. It’s been quite an awakening! Even though I do fall short sometimes; like every day, I know He loves me and will continue to do a work in me until I’m a reflection of him.
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12
Did Jesus walk into that bar? Well, if God lives in me…I believe so.
SWEET & SALTY 