Faith

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Witnessing For Whom?
© 2005
by

Stephen A. Peterson


On March 8, 1999, I received a telephone call from a crying woman. She said: “My daughter, Megan, has gone to a hotel with one of her friends. They’re there right now. She’s drunk. Her friend called me just a few minutes ago saying that Megan is trying to commit suicide. Can you go help her? We had a terrible fight. I know if I try to do anything she might do it. Please, help me, please!” I told her I’d go at once. As I left and made my way to the hotel room, I thought about this teenager. She was one of the brightest young people I had ever known. She was an A student, an outstanding basketball player, and by most people’s standards a very popular person. She loved in a beautiful house with a mother who was concerned about her daughter’s well-being and could afford to give her just about any material item she could ever want. In other words, this young person had all of the worldly things a teen could want. Megan did not, however, have any idea who God is. When her father and mother divorced 7 month earlier, his absence plus the problems of the teen years became more than Megan could tolerate. Megan turned to drinking. At first a little alcohol then more as depression and anger became the rule of her young life. Conflict with her mother grew until she angrily left home. Now she was in this hotel room thinking about taking her own life. I knocked on the door. Her friend opened the door and I witnessed one of the more pitiful sights I had ever seen. This once happy, well-behaved teenage girl had really hit bottom. There she was clothes wrinkled and dirty, hair a terrible mess, smelly and bottle of hard alcohol all over the floor. It was heart breaking.

Her friend invited me into the room where I sat down and for nearly three hours listened to one of the more pitiful stories of anger, heartbreak, and disappointment I had ever heard. Megan told me of being in hell and how she would try to regain her mind by using alcohol. She told of sneaking alcohol into her room at home, wanting to talk to an always busy mother, missing her father who was the only one who would listen to her. Now he was gone. She had boyfriends whom she thought would replace the gentleness and kindness of her father only to learn that the only things on their minds were sex. Megan cried and cried. On several occasions, Megan grabbed my hand saying: “What are you doing here with us? I bet my mom sent you here. Didn’t she? Why she doesn’t care about me! All she’s concerned with is getting money and her stupid law firm! Nobody care about me! Nobody except my daddy. I wish my daddy was here! I want my daddy! I hate my mom for throwing out my daddy! I wish she’d die!”

Megan’s anger gave me the opportunity to share my concern for her and reveal God’s for her as well. I sat there with her and explained as to how I met Jesus Christ and what He did to change my life as she continued to cry. In a while, I and her friend could see a difference in her. We all said a prayer for Megan, her friend and myself. I pled with her not to commit suicide, told her she was special and a child of God. She was told that she could trust her Heavenly Father. A Father who would never abandon her.

Although Megan appeared broken and ready to give her over to the promise of Jesus Christ, she verbal stated that she was not quite ready. Megan indicated a need to find her earthly father, deal with the pained of her mother having divorced her father and with her alcoholism. Megan smiled when she was told her Heavenly Father loves her without conditions and accepts her for who she is.

Megan did not accept the Will of God that day. However, the day will come when the Lord’s promise and unconditional love will take hold in this troubled teen’s life. Maybe I will see her acceptance maybe I may not. Acceptance of the Jesus Christ is not my will or my victory but Jesus’

So often we who say we work or witness for Christ seem concerned about winning brownie points for themselves with the God. It is not necessary to always see the result of one’s efforts. Christian witnesses should recognize that they are not working for themselves but for God. A witness responsible for planting the seed of Christianity. Christ is responsible for bringing in the harvest. The world is full of people young and old, female and male, student, construction workers, scientist or politician who needs a Savior. These and more need HIS help for their salvation. Christians, therefore, should go share Christ with them whether immediate results are recognized at the moment or not. God will be pleased with a person’s effort regardless of whether the person immediately brought a person to salvation or not. Salvation is on God’s terms not on ours.

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