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A few years back Rose,
a nurse friend of ours, was working in a well known nursing home in
Denver. She called one afternoon and asked if Jim would visit a poor
lady in her care who was dying of cancer and was terrified of dying.
Rose told Jim death was coming sooner than later for the woman
and he agreed to go down and visit that very evening after dinner. He
drove to the home, going in to find out who he was to visit. As he
walked through the building, he heard loud cursing and swearing
coming from a room part way down the hall. Silently thinking to
himself he hoped that was not the room he was to visit. You guessed
it... that was the one.
Rose introduced him to
Sadie, telling her this nice man had come to see her. The first words
out of her mouth were “WHADDA YOU WANT?!” Observing the woman
more closely, Jim saw she had tattoos covering both arms and other
parts as well. Talking so rough and looking as hard as nails, he
quickly knew the life style this woman had lived and felt great
compassion for her. The ravages of sin, drinking, spending her time
in bars with men, she was probably not much different then the Woman
at the Well in the Gospels. Jesus gave her the” Living Water”,
she who had had 5 husbands and was then living with a man who was not
her husband. He didn't come for the righteous, He came for the
sinner. Those sick with sin need the Great Physician.
Jim always believed in
shooting from the hip or cutting to the chase, not one to mince
words, he said “I hear you are afraid to die Sadie!” Well, the
dam burst and loud wailing and tears followed for a season. He waited
for a time and then said “what would you think if I told you I have
a plan that you could never die... but live forever in Heaven? She
stopped crying and began to listen as Jim shared how much Jesus loved
her and wanted her to go to Heaven to be with Him when she did slip
into eternity.
He shared John 3:16 “For
God So Loved the world (you, Sadie) that He gave His only begotten
Son that whosoever believed on Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” He explained being born again of the Spirit.
She would listen... then protest loudly with things like, “you
don't know what I have been, how bad I am, I'm going to Hell! I 'm
going to Hell!” There was no two ways about it, more tears and
weeping, truly a lost soul with no hope. At the end of life it all
comes crashing in: the proud do not boast anymore, the arrogant
become very somber, the disobedient to authority become silent with
their fearful thoughts. Medicine can help the physical pain, but no
amount of medicine can touch this kind of remorseful pain of the
soul.
Jim kept reading
scripture to her as a calm fell over the room. The Lord was honoring
His Word, cutting both ways and dividing the soul from the Spirit.
She kept holding on to Jim's hand, would not let go of her life line,
her eternal life line. After a while he invited her to pray a
sinners prayer of repentance and sorrow for her sins inviting Jesus
into her heart to cleanse her with His Blood and be the Lord of her
life.
Sadie, halting and
weeping as the Lord touched her, spoke those words of salvation and
forgiveness. She was born again and became a new creature in Christ.
The crying stopped and she asked very childlike “why would a nice
man like you come down here tonight and spend your evening with an
old hag like me?” Jim said, “Because I love you and Jesus loves
you.” The tears flowed again as she said, “No one ever said they
loved me in my whole life.” “Well Jesus Loves You and so do I.”
As he left that night,
there was a new glow on her face and even a smile as she said goodbye
to him thanking him over and over for coming. And now for the rest of
the story. Sadie passed from death unto Life that night and then
moved to her new home in Heaven a few days later. We rejoice that
God sent Jim to Sadie through our dear friend Rose. Is there a
“Sadie” God has been speaking to you to visit? Maybe a lonely or
sick older relative or former neighbor now living in a nursing home?
From Marilyn Thomas
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