For God so loved the world
That He gave His One and
Only Son
That whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life.
John 3:16
This is a tale of two women. One is rich and the other is poor. You have to guess which one is the rich one.
My
girlfriend, Marge, lives in a ritzy suburb west of Chicago. Her lawyer-investor
husband did well and when he passed away, she inherited his successful
business. Her kids help run the business
but her phone rings often and she makes important decisions.
Marge’s
phone rang when I met up with her for breakfast. She’s quick and bright so it’s not a big
deal. After breakfast, Marge offered to
take me home. She stopped at our
favorite craft store. When it comes to paper
crafts, she’s my girl. We had a blast
looking at everything and she, again, shared helpful tips.
Marge
got off the expressway and took the scenic back roads pointing out several
businesses and buildings that she owns.
I thought to myself, “If I owned
just one of them I could get my nails done regularly!”
We passed the Christian mega church and I
exclaimed: “Oh, I would love to attend one of their services someday.” Marge told me she is not impressed with
that church because like most Christian churches these days, they have become
businesses not real churches.
We
weren’t hungry at lunchtime, but I agreed to appetizers and Marge pulled into a nice sports bar. We sat outside on the patio. When our ice tea arrived, I toasted to our
friendship: “May we always be close friends even in eternity.” Marge responded with: “Mary,
what if I don’t believe in Heaven? How do you know it really exists?” I told Marge that Heaven is in the Bible
and that I wasn’t aware that the Bible wasn’t her benchmark for truth. You can just imagine the rest of our
conversation.
Marge
got a text message that required her signature on a document. I get text messages too. Most of mine are prayer requests. The grand kids had pink eye just before I left
and I’m close to a young vet suffering from PTSD, and he tried to commit
suicide three weeks ago. Important updates call for my attention to pray,
immediately.
I
hated to see our fun morning end. Marge
and I are living proof that a Jesus lovin’ conservative and a New Age Liberal can
hang together and survive. Honestly we
like each other, a lot!
What an amazing header, Mary! I so hope to see Chicago in person, someday.
ReplyDeleteThis post sure laser-ed its way into my heart. You see, I'd a dear friend in Florida - who also happened to be my boss! - who embodies everything I'm not: Former 'flower-child', uber liberal; and yes, tremendously successful. For some reason, Jo Anne has been heavy on my heart recently, and I sorely miss the camaraderie, even the arguments.
It's nice to know, other 'opposites' can forge a precious bond. And for the record? Ya, you're definitely the richer one! :)
Such a lovely post...and indeed, the rich woman is you! Your header is gorgeous. :)
ReplyDeleteI like your new header :) Yes, you indeed are the rich woman; you know what really matters and it is not material possessions, but your relationship with Jesus :) It is neat though that you two can still be friends and I am sure you do pray for her :)
ReplyDeletebetty
The new Header is SWEET and so was this post! I loved it. And...awe...yes....you are very rich my friend! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeletehi saleslady:) enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteMary, this was really a wonderful story - even though I feel sorry for your friend. I'm sure that the Lord will use you in her life to bring a steady message of His love and salvation. May she find the *riches* that He provides. An inheritance that lasts forever.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, we are rich women.
GOD BLESS!
Oh Mary! Yes you are rich!And for eternity! I hope your earthly precious rich friend catches up to you soon! Oh Lord I pray it will be so! Amen!
ReplyDeleteI'll take the richness of a life lived for Jesus over a wealthy life any day, my friend! May god continue to use your sweet influence to work on your friend's heart :).
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of the old country Christian song, "I'm richer than a millionaire, just because He cares." Houses, buildings, businesses, jewels, and even money must be left here when we leave this earth. You are laying up treasures in heaven and yes, you are the rich one. May your friend do some heavy thinking about the sweet words you said to her. They may strike a cord in her heart so that Jesus can get in there edgeways. Thank you for sharing your lovely story with us here at Tell me a Story.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post, Mary. We are supposed to be salt and light, so friendships like this are necessary and can be very fulfilling. You definitely are rich and blessed! Blessings~
ReplyDeleteKim
Thank you so much for this post. And ... its is painful: some of our friends ( our children) are spiritualy very poor. Let's pray for them every day. There's hope!
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy of being the richer woman. You are so correct.
ReplyDeleteWith Jesus we are richer than we know.
ur heavenly home is beautiful. It is not worth losing at all for all the pleasures we have have here on earth.
I pray God touch you friend's heart someday.
God Bless
Hi Mary! You surely are rich. And the fact that God puts so many of His children in your way is proof of His faith in YOU!
ReplyDeleteI think we all have friends who know about our love of the Lord, but don't necessarily share it. I think it's wonderful that your friend could tell you that she wasn't sure about heaven. That means that she knows you would accept her, no matter her feelings about a heavenly home.
That speaks volumes to me. We are supposed to be witnessing through our actions and how we live. Not by shutting people down, or making them feel bad about what they believe. I know Jesus was smiling on you that day :)
You sure had an eventful visit!
Ceil
Oh, what a beautiful telling of this story, Mary! Aren't we wealthy indeed, if we are in Christ? Thank you for bumping us out of our comfortable categories of what is rich and what isn't.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! Loved the post. Such wisdom in that setup and that profound payoff and last sentence! I appreciate your heart and perspective. Proof that our Father is using you in profound ways. Good for you, Mary. Praying for your friend to become rich as well...
ReplyDeleteYou've written this story so beautifully. Yes you are truly rich.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post. Whenever I am close friends with someone who doesn't believe like I do, I remind myself that God put them in to my life for a reason and they have something to teach me too. I also remind myself that God loves them just as much as he loves me. There is so much diversity of thought and opinion these days even amongst believers. It is so important to remain open to others. Nice to meet you in the blogging world (I'm visiting from Ariella's blog).
ReplyDeleteYes, my dear friend, you truly are the rich one. I love the type of text messages you receive. I know that Marge heard the Truth that day because, well...because I know my rich friend. We have Jesus in common. :) Love you!
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed the rich woman Mary! But I love how you don't just stick with believing friends. You interact and love even those who don't yet believe. How are we to be Jesus to the world if we just stick with others like us? I love this about you. I think of Paul who interacted with the Greeks and spoke in a way they would understand. He engaged with them as you do with a friend. I too have many friends and loved ones who don't yet believe. But I won't give up and will still continue to love them to the Lord and to pray fervently for them.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Debbie