By Audrey Hoover
I looked down the street I was canvassing as I stood on the porch of yet another house. Soon after I knocked, a lady answered. I began my canvass, but she stopped me before she saw any of my books. “What organization?” she asked. I replied, “Seventh-day Adventist.” She stepped out and invited me to sit in a chair on her porch.
“I have been in your situation,” she began, then proceeded to tell me about how, as a Jehovah’s Witness, she had knocked on doors for twenty-five years, and that she had Adventist relatives. She stated her reasons for leaving her church and for not supporting organized religions. I attempted to refute her arguments because she began directly attacking the Bible. But I soon tired, realizing my own lack of preparation.
All I could do was pray. But then, she began talking about prayer! If two people prayed for opposing outcomes, she queried, then whose prayer was right? “That’s for God to decide,” I said. “Is it?” she asked ardently. Well of course it is, I thought, what is she trying to get at? I realized no proof from the Bible was going to convince her. To my relief, my leader arrived and was able to end the conversation so that I could move on to another house.
With this encounter, I realized several things. I had met people with similar points of view as this woman, but I had never had a discussion like this with anyone. That day I had a glimpse of just how desperate and hopeless some people are. They have the truth in their hands, but they condemn it. Satan has such a way with people, that he is able to put a different light on certain things, thus driving people away from the truth. I saw this being exemplified in this meeting.
I also realized that I need to study the Bible even more, for when I was crossed with certain issues, I didn’t have a strong reply. I knew the truth, but I hadn’t studied it enough to know what to say to her. This lady was not the only person that I had met who was like this, and I know she won’t be the last. There are so many people in situations where they feel dejected, lost, or hopeless, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can find them and help them discover peace and happiness in their lives.
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