Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Bitter and Sweet (05/28/09)
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TITLE: A Bitter-Sweet Heart | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
05/29/09 -
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being with her neighbors. Her son, Rich, played with the neighbor children. She attended picnics.
Enjoyed back-yard chats. As the years passed, and hardships entered her life, she became very bitter.
She turned away from her friends; even her neighbors. She lived a life of loneliness and despair.
When I moved to the neighborhood, I was excited to get to know my neighbors. However, I
had been warned about LuAnn. “She won’t talk to you,” my neighbors said.
Being one who loves a challenge, she was the first person I invited to my Christmas Open House.
I marched across the street with invitation in hand, thinking I would give it to her personally. I rang her
doorbell, and waited. I rang it again. And again. Finally, I stuck the invitation in her door and left.
The day of the party arrived. No LuAnn. I repeated this scenario for the next several years,
inviting LuAnn to my Christmas event. LuAnn never showed.
I soon realized what my neighbors said was true. She really didn’t want to be friends with
anyone. This saddened me. Everyone needs at least one friend.
Whenever I saw LuAnn in her yard, I would wave and shout, “Hi LuAnn. How are you doing
today? “ She wouldn’t acknowledge my greeting. I simply smiled and continued to speak to her,
and greet her, whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Fourteen years later I learned that LuAnn had cancer. It was terminal. She was a
very sick woman. I said to myself, “Now she really needs a friend and I’m going to be that friend!”
But how was I going to make this happen? She wouldn’t answer the door. She wouldn’t
pick up the phone. How was I going to be her friend if she kept ignoring me?
Rich visited her every day, and an idea began to form in my heart. The next day when Rich
arrived, I marched over to LuAnn’s house, rang the bell and, as expected, Rich answered. I said, “I’m
here to visit LuAnn.” As I knew he would, he invited me in. For twenty minutes I had a visit with LuAnn.
Over the next year I sent her cards, took her flowers, visited as I could – and hopefully had
been a friend. She still refused to answer the phone or open her door. No big deal. I had her
son on my side!
Before long, she entered the hospital. Rich told me she only had a few days to live. “Lord, I
need help here. She’s not a believer. I have to tell her about Jesus. What do I do now?”
God whispered in my ear, “Go visit LuAnn. I’ll prepare the way.”
I arrived at the hospital, not certain what to expect. When I entered her room, a frail woman
looked my way. “Hi”, I said. She simply nodded her head. I chatted with her a few minutes, then
asked if I could pray for her. Surprisingly, she said “yes”. I told her I would come back the
next day.
“God, please open her heart to you. Tell me what to say.”
“Go visit her again.”
When I arrived the next day she was much worse. I leaned over and whispered, “hi”, then
boldly asked, “LuAnn do you know you will go to heaven when you die?”
“I don’t think so.” she muttered.
I was amazed to see how alert she became. God, indeed, opened the door for me to share the
Gospel with her.
I then said, “LuAnn, would you like to give your heart to Jesus?”
She said, “yes”.
We prayed. When finished I said, “LuAnn, do you know you will go to heaven when you die?”
“Yes”, she said assuredly.
“How do you know?”
“Because I feel all warm inside.”
“LuAnn, did you feel warm inside before you prayed that prayer?”
“No.” She then looked at me and said, “You have given me much to think about.”
Before I left, I prayed with her, and said, “LuAnn, Jesus loves you and I love you too.” With
the biggest smile she had ever given she said, “I love you more.”
LuAnn died two days later but not before the sweetness of Jesus had entered her life. I know
one day this once-bitter-woman will be standing on the shores of heaven, with her sweet smile, waiting
to be my friend – forever.
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Otherwise, a nice story.