God's Love does not Always Come in Nicely Wrapped Packages

I recently got word that a friend of mine from the past had died.  He was a wee little old man who originated from France as a young man; and transferred to Canada many years ago because of his job.  He was married with a son and lived in Montreal; and later moved to Nova Scotia.

Over the years his marriage ended, and sad to say, he became estranged from his son as well.  For many years he lived as a lonely old man; until one day he met a woman in dire need.  He reached out his hand to help and she reached out her hand in return, and thus began a beautiful relationship between two people whom God had brought together.

The woman was recently estranged from her sick husband for reasons I will not delve into.  But in the process of her estrangement she had lost her house, property, and most of her belongings.  To top it all off: a few weeks later her husband died as well.

She had been her late husbands caretaker for many years; and now she found herself homeless and penniless.  But God works in mysterious ways and brought these two lost souls, my friend and the homeless woman, together through a chance encounter.  She was invited to move into my friend's home to provide help and care for him; and a strong platonic relationship began to develop.

This is where I entered into the picture and became acquainted with the lonely old man.  The woman attended my church at the time and asked if I would come and visit with him.  I did, and we quickly struck up a friendship together.

The woman read the Bible to him everyday and shared the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Soon, the Holy Spirit entered his life and he fell under great conviction.  I was invited back to speak to the man, and he confessed his sins and gave his heart to the Lord.  We then began to prepare him for baptism, which took place a few months later.

That was about two years ago.  As I reflect upon that situation now I also remember the some of the struggles we encountered as a church and leadership.  These two people were living together, and the perception of their relationship was questionable.  Some people of the church thought that it was improper that we would entertain baptizing this man because of the living arrangements between the man and the woman.

But God's love does not always come in nicely wrapped packages.  He wants us to come alongside others to walk with them as He does, no matter what is the state of their lives at the time.  We so often make the mistake that it is our responsibility to make sure that a person "becomes" a Christian, when really, that is God's job.  Our job is to make sure that they know they "belong" to Him right now - and trust God to do the rest.  And so, after much prayer and discussion among the leadership, we baptized the man; and I believe he is in heaven right now.

God brought my two friends together as an answer to their prayers and petitions according to their needs.  They crossed no boundaries that would be unapproved by God, but fell in love with as godly people to care their needs together.  I confess that it is not a nicely wrapped package, and many questions still come to my mind about how God works - but for now, I trust that this is His business - and we were obedient to prepare my friend for his day of celebration in heaven.