“Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:6-7, KJV)
At the time, I cannot travel by airline, so we drove to an area in North Carolina where we had not been before. As my husband was driving, he noticed a small discount clothing store. We made a quick stop there. I needed some assistance to help with the fitting of some pants. Since I have to stay inside a lot for now, I need a little bit of an up-dated casual style for the clothing I wear at home, to help me look better when we host guests.
The beautiful big gold earrings that a lady was wearing got my attention. The lady was working in the store, pricing clothing. I approached her and complimented the earrings. She said that her best girl friend had given them to her. I told her that she must be a very special person. She smiled and said that she was.
This lady was very caring. She took me to the area where she could look at my size and made suggestions as to what kind of fabric would feel the most comfortable.
She selected two sizes and handed me two pairs of pants. I felt the fabric, and it was delicate and soft. She looked into my eyes to communicate her personal care while assisting me. Then she went on with her work.
After I selected the size, I looked for her to thank her. I asked her what her name was. She said that it was Eden. My heart was excited, because this gave me an opportunity to address her personally.
“Do you know what kind of name you are carrying with you?” I asked.
As she kept doing her work, she responded, “What kind of name is it?”
“Like the garden of Eden,” I said.
She explained, “Actually, it is spelled E-d-e-a-o-n. It is my mother’s maiden name.” She kept working.
“I see. But, think, just to pronounce it as the garden of Eden, you are saying a lot! Do you know Jesus?” I asked.
She mentioned that she was raised a Methodist. I asked her if she knew where she was going when she died. She said that she would go to heaven.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“I was baptized when I was a baby. I try to do good as much as possible, and I confess my sins all the time,” she said.
“That is very good, but I am going to tell you how to get to heaven.” I was ready to continue. She stopped working and gave me a very serious look.
“How? How?” she desperately asked.
“We are going to pray right now to make sure that you understand and know that you will be in heaven,” I said.
She looked directly into my eyes as she prayed with me, asking Jesus to be the Saviour of her soul and giving her life to Him.
Doing good and confessing sins is not how to go to heaven; it is only through what Jesus did on the cross. This is what she now understood.
Afterward, that desperate expression was gone. She came closer to me and gave me the biggest hug!
“Thank you for praying for me. People don’t do that anymore,” she said, as she sincerely hugged me again. She joyfully hung on to the hug!
“Abba, Father, You put it in our hearts to make a quick stop at a store. You had the lady in the store wear those big gold earrings on that day to get my attention. Who would have thought that You would have had this woman, who had a heart for You, to have such a name to open the opportunity to tell her about Your Son? Jesus, she so desperately wanted to be in heaven! You knew that, in her own way, she was trying to be good and make sure that her life was right. You answered her heart’s desire to be pleasing to You by letting her know of Your love for her and that You gave your life for her. Thank You for Your Spirit, who prepared us both for the assurance of her soul for eternity with You in heaven.”
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