Kristin

 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore

The Lord has been teaching me to trust Him more and more when I speak with people about Him. I struggle with fear, though God gives us a spirit of power and love, not timidity. I used to try to go in with a script in my head and I depended upon that. He has been showing me over and over these past few months how much better conversations about Him go if I let Him lead.

The first person I experienced this with was a new neighbor, beginning in June when we got back from our honeymoon, named Kristin. She was severely anorexic. She was quite literally skin and bones. her cheeks were sunken in. She was only 26 but she looked so aged, so old. She would come over a lot, sometimes just to talk, sometimes desperate for food. She lived next door with her mom and I knew she must be provided for so I didn’t understand this until a couple of weeks ago. Her mom told me she could only keep enough food in the house for one day at a time or she would binge and purge and potentially kill herself.

One week she went into the hospital at under 70 pounds and I prayed she would live because I wanted to share the gospel with her so desperately and I hated the idea that she should die before I had found out whether she knew the Lord.

She came home and a few days later asked me if I would sign a do not resuscitate form for her (she needed someone who wasn’t related) I told her I just couldn’t, her life was too precious. I really just did not want to take away any opportunity she might one day have to hear the gospel. I went upstairs and hit my knees in the living room and just asked God “what do I do with this?” I felt Him saying, so gently, “You’ve been wanting an opportunity to talk with her about Me, she just told you she didn’t have much time left, this is a pretty big opening! Get up, go over there and knock on the door.” I did, only by God's mercy.

She opened the door and I could tell she was upset with me but she tried to be patient. She just wanted rest from this battle she’d been fighting for 12+ years and I was the one keeping her from it. I asked her to come out on the porch. She sat on a chair and I knelt beside her and said, “if it’s getting this serious, Kristin, have you thought about where you’re going when you die?” She said “Yes, I’ll be with the Lord.” It was one of the sweetest surprises of my life!

 I asked her to explain a little more about what she believed and she said “I believe Jesus died for my sins and that there is nothing I can do that He won’t forgive.” She knew the gospel, she knew what she needed to be saved: that she was a sinner, like all of us, separated from God and that Christ came to die for her sins to redeem her, that, out of His grace, He suffered the death she deserved so she could be reconciled to her Father. I was satisfied.

“Okay," I said, "I will sign the form for you if that is really what you want, I just couldn't without knowing.” She said "yes" and we went inside. As I was leaving I thanked her for being open with me and she said, “thank you for thinking enough of me to ask.”

I got to talk with Kristin a few more times after this and hear a bit more of her story. She died a few weeks later at under 60 pounds. I got to visit with her mom and see a picture of her healthy, as I only imagined I would see her in heaven. She was so beautiful and I know, in the presence of God, she will be more glorious still! I can’t wait to see her glorified and free from pain and suffering!

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth...And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...'Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new." - Revelation 21:1-5