hold of Him. He will lift you up. He wants your heart, Diane. It doesn’t matter how bad you think your heart is; He’ll take what you offer Him and make it new. He’ll create something beautiful from your offering, even if it’s lacking.”
Diane’s lungs constricted. “You make it sound too easy.”
“That’s because it’s not as hard to know God as people want to believe. You don’t have to climb a flight of concrete steps on your knees or anything like that.”
In spite of her somber mood, Diane chuckled at the example Rachel gave. Her mirth quickly dissolved into tears, and the ache in her heart magnified the emptiness of her life.
“I can pray with you now if you want,” Rachel offered. “Just acknowledge that you’re a sinner. Tell God you want Jesus to change your heart and make you a new person so you can stop living in sin and start living for Him.”
Diane tensed. “I . . . um, that’s asking a lot right now.”
“Aren’t you ready to give your heart to Jesus?”
Rachel’s eyes looked so hopeful. Diane hated to disappoint her new friend, but she wasn’t ready to make that kind of leap of faith yet. It sounded too scary.
“I’m not sure I’m ready. Or if I’ll ever be.”
“Oh, Diane. That’s not true. No one is beyond hope.” A flicker of disappointment shone in Rachel’s gaze, but she held her positive smile.
A lump clogged Diane’s throat. “You can keep praying. It can’t hurt anything.”
Rachel’s smile instantly brightened. “Good. As long as you think there’s still a chance, then there’s hope. Are you going to return to our women’s group? We’re breaking up for the holidays but plan to start again the week after New Year’s.”
Diane’s heart fluttered. Rachel hadn’t rejected her when she had declined her invitation. Maybe she didn’t have to please Katia and her friends in order to be accepted. Maybe she’d been wrong.
“I might, if you’ll still have me.”
“Sure, we’d love to have you. Do you think the ladies came to visit you because they don’t care? They want you to come back so they can get to know you better.”
Diane’s neck heated. “I’m surprised they’d still want me after I took off like that. I didn’t exactly make myself friendly.”
“I think they understood. Many of us have been where you’re at.”
Humbled, Diane said, “All right, then. I will.”
Rachel laughed. “You’ll be glad you did. Trust me. God has a plan for your life that is so much bigger than the one you have for yourself.”
Diane found herself laughing along with Rachel. “Ya think?”
Rachel stopped laughing and captured her gaze. “I know He does.”
She looked so convinced that Diane wanted to believe her. Could it be true that God loves me? That He has a plan for my life?
* * *
After taking a cab home late the next day, Diane checked the calendar. The date stared back at her: Christmas Eve. She walked to the mailboxes, slid her key into the lock, and opened the door.
“What in the world?”
She had expected little to no mail other than bills, certainly not the vast amount of envelopes and packages stuffed into her oversized mailbox. She brought everything into her kitchen and set it all down on the counter.
Once she got comfortable, she sorted the junk mail from her personal mail. A smile tugged at her mouth. This year’s holiday had its downside, but as she reached for the first card she chose to be like Katia and Rachel and revel in the positives.
The return address was somewhere in town, but she didn’t recognize the person’s last name. Ripping the envelope open, she pulled out the card. Inside she found a gift card for Pizza Hut. She recognized the first name of the signature. Amy. What a sweetheart.
She chuckled to herself. “Thank God they deliver.”
She reached for the next card. Another member of the Bible study who had also visited her in the hospital sent her a get well card. The handwritten note said
Diane’s lungs constricted. “You make it sound too easy.”
“That’s because it’s not as hard to know God as people want to believe. You don’t have to climb a flight of concrete steps on your knees or anything like that.”
In spite of her somber mood, Diane chuckled at the example Rachel gave. Her mirth quickly dissolved into tears, and the ache in her heart magnified the emptiness of her life.
“I can pray with you now if you want,” Rachel offered. “Just acknowledge that you’re a sinner. Tell God you want Jesus to change your heart and make you a new person so you can stop living in sin and start living for Him.”
Diane tensed. “I . . . um, that’s asking a lot right now.”
“Aren’t you ready to give your heart to Jesus?”
Rachel’s eyes looked so hopeful. Diane hated to disappoint her new friend, but she wasn’t ready to make that kind of leap of faith yet. It sounded too scary.
“I’m not sure I’m ready. Or if I’ll ever be.”
“Oh, Diane. That’s not true. No one is beyond hope.” A flicker of disappointment shone in Rachel’s gaze, but she held her positive smile.
A lump clogged Diane’s throat. “You can keep praying. It can’t hurt anything.”
Rachel’s smile instantly brightened. “Good. As long as you think there’s still a chance, then there’s hope. Are you going to return to our women’s group? We’re breaking up for the holidays but plan to start again the week after New Year’s.”
Diane’s heart fluttered. Rachel hadn’t rejected her when she had declined her invitation. Maybe she didn’t have to please Katia and her friends in order to be accepted. Maybe she’d been wrong.
“I might, if you’ll still have me.”
“Sure, we’d love to have you. Do you think the ladies came to visit you because they don’t care? They want you to come back so they can get to know you better.”
Diane’s neck heated. “I’m surprised they’d still want me after I took off like that. I didn’t exactly make myself friendly.”
“I think they understood. Many of us have been where you’re at.”
Humbled, Diane said, “All right, then. I will.”
Rachel laughed. “You’ll be glad you did. Trust me. God has a plan for your life that is so much bigger than the one you have for yourself.”
Diane found herself laughing along with Rachel. “Ya think?”
Rachel stopped laughing and captured her gaze. “I know He does.”
She looked so convinced that Diane wanted to believe her. Could it be true that God loves me? That He has a plan for my life?
* * *
After taking a cab home late the next day, Diane checked the calendar. The date stared back at her: Christmas Eve. She walked to the mailboxes, slid her key into the lock, and opened the door.
“What in the world?”
She had expected little to no mail other than bills, certainly not the vast amount of envelopes and packages stuffed into her oversized mailbox. She brought everything into her kitchen and set it all down on the counter.
Once she got comfortable, she sorted the junk mail from her personal mail. A smile tugged at her mouth. This year’s holiday had its downside, but as she reached for the first card she chose to be like Katia and Rachel and revel in the positives.
The return address was somewhere in town, but she didn’t recognize the person’s last name. Ripping the envelope open, she pulled out the card. Inside she found a gift card for Pizza Hut. She recognized the first name of the signature. Amy. What a sweetheart.
She chuckled to herself. “Thank God they deliver.”
She reached for the next card. Another member of the Bible study who had also visited her in the hospital sent her a get well card. The handwritten note said
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