Posted on 06/30/2008 12:38:39 PM PDT by johnstown
Motorcycle. Massages. Pimp. Husband. Sons. Travel.
It went on and on for years — ten years, in fact. Sarah and her husband, Dick, went all over the country on the back of their motorcycle. He the pimp. She servicing various men here and there.
Then were born to them two sons. Yet they continued moving around from one place to another. Dick was lazy. Though he had a college degree, he did not want to report to work anywhere. There was no 9-to-5 job in his future.
Dick depended on Sarah to provide the income. She was steady at it. She was good at it, if "good" is a word that can be used for sex services to other men. All the while, Dick was addicted to pornography, watching it for hours on end. That did not stop even when sons were born to the two.
Sarah had heard a sermon about the Second Coming of Christ. That message kept in the back of her head for years. Motorcycle. Massages. Husband serving as pimp. Two boys born to her. And more miles under the cycle’s wheels.
One day the Second Coming sermon sharply cut across her thought patterns. She could not get away from a voice speaking to her innards. The voice kept repeating: "You are not ready if I were to return to Earth. You are not ready if I were to return to Earth."
Sarah knew that voice belonged to Christ. She knew enough about the Bible from her praying mother to understand the biblical truths. They were basic to her life. They were enough to get hold of her conscience, though the conscience had been seared over the years with a lustful lifestyle.
Added to the lust was the hammering away from her husband that she had to bring in the money. There was no other way. She was the paycheck for the four of them. Therefore, when the voice kept repeating inside her heart, she was fearful for her security, her life, her tie to her husband.
We were having a Bible study in our New England living room when a stranger walked through the front door. About a dozen had gathered. We welcomed the woman with smiles and greetings typical of Christians. She held a Bible of her own in her hand. Within minutes we were engrossed in reading the Scriptures.
My wife and I kept a small guest book in our home for new folk to sign so that over time we could recollect friends and happenings. Therefore, without thinking it out of the ordinary, I handed Sarah that book.
She signed it with one name only. No last name. No address. No comment. I thought it somewhat odd for others have signed with their full names. Some added a short phrase or two. But Sarah wrote only her first name and then shut the book.
She returned the next Wednesday evening with Bible in hand. We asked no questions concerning her person. We just entered once again into the study of the Word, providing a friendly atmosphere for all.
The third time Sarah came to the parsonage, she waited till others had left. Then she explained some detail concerning her life — her awkward marriage, her sons, and her wanting to be set free from her sinful lifestyle. With that, we prayed and promised her to continue to intercede on her behalf.
Week after week, Sarah worshiped with us. She brought her sons with her to church. Her husband was becoming quite hostile at her Christian turnabout. There developed an exceptionally tense daily routine he put her through. Finally, she had to leave him for he threatened her physically. She also feared for the boys’ safety.
Then came the divorce. He wanted out. She was no longer providing the money by way of prostitution. He did not want to go to any job; therefore, he had to go solo, depending on some funds his mother had in store for the two of them. His mother, not given to anything spiritual, went along with her son’s conclusions about what he was going to do in exiting his family.
Sarah was left with her boys in a welfare-supported apartment.
Dick was able to get a crafty lawyer that legally granted him the two boys. Sarah, after all, had a past that was not all that commendable. It did not fit the definition of a respectable mother. Though she was now a Christian, her past kept crippling her case. Dick walked off with the children, leaving New England for parts unknown to Sarah.
Years passed.
Sarah continued living for the Lord, worshiping faithfully, befriending new believers, witnessing concerning her salvation through Christ. Of course, all along she prayed that somehow she would come upon her sons again. But with more and more time moving along, that seemed increasingly an impossibility.
One day she came to meet a single minister whom she had never known before. They ended up writing back and forth. Both sensed the Lord bringing their hearts as one. Therefore, in our sanctuary they were married with loving friends looking on.
Sarah, once a call girl, became a pastor’s wife. The years continue to move along. No word from two sons. All the while, Dick has them on the West coast. He’d blackened in his living quarters so as to watch pornography day and night. The sons are subjected to his evil bent.
One day, Sarah got a phone call from her one son who wanted to leave his father. And then another communication from the second son. Eventually, circumstances came together by which mother was reunited with her boys — no longer tots but now young men.
This was the day Sarah had prayed for over and over again. The boys were introduced to their stepfather who accepted them in the love of Christ. But one son concluded he did not want anything related to the Christian life. To this day, he continues to live apart from God.
The younger son reached out to Christ’s saving grace. But his mind has been damaged. He needed psychiatric treatment because of looming fears and distortions. Nevertheless, the love of God encased him, bringing gradual healing.
Presently, Sarah continues the ministry with her pastor husband. Her older son communicates with her from time to time, having moved several states away. The younger son has married, attempting to pay the bills on a meager salary, still committed to God.
It all began 25 years ago when Sarah walked into our living room for a mid-week Bible study. We look over time to thank heaven for redemption — mercy extended to one who recalled a Second Coming sermon preached ten years prior.
Through it all, God remained constant in His pursuit of a longing heart.
Amazing testimony!
What a story of God’s mercy and grace. We all should take note.
I know that she is a Christian now but why would any man want to marry a woman who was a whore. Yuk!! Talk about sloppy seconds.
I’m glad that God does not judge people the same way.
You are so correct.
When God does a work upon a life, all is “new” according to the gospel promise in the New Testament.
The “new” woman in Christ was quite first-class to her pastor husband. They are an exceptionally happy couple to this day.
- Hosea 1:2
Impressive Mary of Magdala out of whom Christ case seven devils.
And she of all individuals was the first to witness His resurrection.
Does the New Testament lift high the status of the female or what?? Not only in regard to Mary of Magdala but many others.
There are some things that I have done in my life that I am not proud of, but because of his forgiving grace, I no longer have to judge myself by those things.
It is ashame that some people don’t realize that this is what God is like and that they too can live a life free of shame through forgiveness and mercy. We could all benefit from trying to be more like Him.
What many people fail to realize is that we are all like “sloppy seconds” to God and fall short of perfection.
well-said.
When Christ forgives and forgets, He does it thoroughly.
Redemption is God’s business. And He certainly knows His business.
Amen :-)
You wrote: “. . .we are all like ‘sloppy seconds’ to God. . .”
True.
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
It’s all even ground at the base of the cross.
You wrote: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
That was exactly the quote that I was trying to get at on another post, but my brain is not up to par today. One sick 2 year old and a 7 year old who is “bored”. Plus a nagging headache that won’t go away.
Thank you for posting the correct version. :-)
But there is no evidence that Mary Magdelene was a prostitute
You are welcome: Romans 3:23 to be exact.
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