Nothing Wasted in God's Economy
Feb 17, 2019 | by Nancy Newbrough
In early 2010, we moved to Katy just when our daughter was about to be five years old. At the top of our priority list was to find a church home within our area. We had been fully plugged into our previous church and formed wonderful friendships.
Soon after settling in, we drove down Westheimer Parkway and noticed The Fellowship. That week we decided to visit this church. All of us, including our daughter, loved and enjoyed the service. We felt the Lord leading us to be members.
As with any move, there are adjustments and changes that sometimes can be challenging or overwhelming. We were about to experience some of that when our daughter started kindergarten six months later. There is an elementary school less than a mile from our subdivision where she was enrolled.
A few weeks after starting school, our daughter became friendly with a girl her age who lives on our street and rode the same school bus. At the time, they were both pursuing other friendships from their respective classrooms.
Our daughter had quickly become friends with a girl in her class. They got along so well that even their teacher spoke highly about their friendship during teacher conferences. Unfortunately, the parents of this classmate “didn’t appreciate” their friendship for reasons known only to them. We chose not to speculate, but as a mother, it was hard to see my little girl’s heartbroken so soon after venturing into the world!
As a family, we decided to accept the situation and encouraged our daughter to let that friendship go. But oh, how we prayed, trusting God to bring along another friend for our baby girl. There were moments of loneliness for her as she did not know any kids her age at church either.
During this same period, the girl on our street was also going through some friendship struggles of her own. Needless to say, it was a time when they both felt abandoned by some of the kids in their classrooms. So they both began to talk and interact more with each other, even though this girl and her family come from a very different world religion known to be opposed to Christianity.
In our entire lives, my family and I had never interacted closely with people of different beliefs. Initially, we were judgmental of other religions and did not know what to expect. We always preferred to relate with people of the same beliefs as ours.
By the time my daughter got to first grade, these two girls were becoming very close. I occasionally would engage in “small talk” with different members of her family as we waited together for the school bus every morning. After a while, the aunt of my daughter’s friend asked if I was a Christian. I said, “Yes.” Then she astounded me by saying, “I like the way you live! Can I come with you and visit your church?” I said, “Absolutely!”
You can imagine my surprise! I felt truly humbled that the Lord would use “this broken soul” to shine His light to attract this lady just by living out my Christian walk. She came to The Fellowship with me and continued to come. In time she converted to Christianity! Sometime later, she moved to Canada.
In the meanwhile, my daughter had been inviting her close friend to church activities for years, but her parents always declined. That is -- until 2017 when amazingly her parents started to allow their daughter to participate in activities for youth at The Fellowship. She attends a Bible study at school with my daughter as well. Their friendship has developed into something beautiful!
To watch the transformation of both young ladies in their spiritual journeys is amazing! Only God could use their loss of early friendships and loneliness to build an eternal relationship with Christ!
My husband and I are also being transformed! We have learned not to be judgmental, but to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. All for His Glory!
An Awed Mother
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal
procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere
the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
2 Corinthians 2:14