A good Christian friend of ours was abandoned by her husband and left to raise four children by herself. Without financial support, Lorraine struggled desperately to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. These were years of incredible hardship and discouragements but somehow, through it all, the Lord met their needs and kept them going. To make ends meet, she would sometimes babysit children in her home. Two of these children came from Paul and Robin, a non-Christian couple. Lorraine looked after their children until they reached school age. After that time, there was only occasional contact between the two families.
The years rolled on. Lorraine’s children grew up, got married and left home and now she found herself in a new reality—all alone without any seeming purpose to life. In utter discouragement, she called us. We have received many calls like that over the years, but this time Lorraine sounded desperate, despairing even of life. My wife, Sheila and I went over to somehow encourage her. We shared with her that she not only had physical life but that she was alive in Christ and so we are never without purpose. We asked the Lord to show her specifically what her purpose now would be. A few days later, we received another call from Lorraine and this time she was so excited she could hardly stand it. Here’s the story.
Remember Paul and Robin? Let me tell you a bit about them. Paul spent some of his early years in the Toronto area and while there, he attended a children’s outreach at a small Gospel Hall. He memorized some verses and as a reward he was given a framed verse of Matthew 6:33 to hang on his wall. The family moved to a new town, and many after that. Paul said that the first thing he always did wherever they moved was to hang that verse up on the wall of his bedroom.
Paul grew up, met Robin and in time they had two children—the children Lorraine cared for. Life seemed to be going well for them, but in their hearts they were struggling. He had tried drugs, Eastern religions and other philosophies, but still an emptiness prevailed. Robin too was in turmoil and didn’t know where to turn. However, she remembered that there was something different about Lorraine and, right at the time when Lorraine was at her lowest, Robin called and asked her if she could come over and talk. She did and Lorraine had the wonderful opportunity of sharing the gospel of grace with her. Robin placed her trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder Lorraine sounded so excited on the phone! “I do have purpose,” she said. Sheila and I marveled again at the Lord’s gracious care for His children. He knows how to lift us up. He truly is “the God of all encouragement.”
A couple of weeks later, we got another excited call from Lorraine. This time it was about Paul. He had finally reached the end of his rope. He had lost his job and in utter despair was ready to take his life. Contemplating this, he looked up at the verse on the wall, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” He said, “That’s the answer for my life,” and the only one that he knew to call was Lorraine. He did and that day he too trusted Christ. Sheila and I call this “goose-bump stuff!”
I love the way 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 reads in the Phillips paraphrase, “Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on His own triumphant way and makes our knowledge of Him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We Christians have the unmistakable ‘scent’ of Christ…” For Lorraine, even though they were such hard and struggling years, there was still the “unmistakable scent of Christ” in her life. Paul and Robin could sense something different and— like all wonderful fragrances—they were drawn by it. They too were bathed in the lovely perfume of Christ and now carry His scent. What a fragrance!
In the days that followed, Paul had the opportunity of leading his brother Steve and some other family members to Christ. They were all a vibrant testimony of God’s grace in their community. About a year later, Steve, who had just become engaged to a nice Christian girl, was killed in a car accident. We will never forget that funeral. The place was packed with mostly non-Christian folks. Many of them had been impacted by Steve’s life and testimony. After the funeral, there were small groups of these friends sitting in circles asking questions about God and the meaning of life. Only eternity will reveal the effect of Steve’s short life.
Paul and Robin went on to Bible college and into full time ministry where they are today.
Shortly after Paul trusted Christ, he came over and told me his story. As he was speaking, my mind went back to the workers in that small Gospel Hall in Toronto who so many years ago had a heart for children and did something about it. Among those children was a small boy named Paul. Seeds were planted back there in his young heart that came to fruition years later. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6). We are always part of a bigger picture. Who knows what God is doing? Sometimes He allows us to see it, but most times it’s all part of His “hidden agenda” that will be revealed in eternity. Until then, “be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).