Why The Washing Machine Broke Down

Divine providence would have a hand with our washing machine of 10 years dying just months ago. We employed a wash lady from where we previously lived, Sally, to fill in the labor. A woman of honest hands, she has had episodes of finding cash in our pockets without our knowledge and faithfully returning them. We have recommended her service to several households in the village, one of which is a Christian. My wife told me she has began ministering to Sally in small ways.

Yesterday, while I was preparing to leave for work, I was bothered at the table during meal; the thought that this woman  being under our house without receiving the Gospel, was a rebuke against me. A disheartening thought then came, of seeing her awakened and converted, and asking me why I didn't care enough to tell her anything of her soul's destined end despite being with us for months now, having heard it from someone else instead. I asked forgiveness of the Lord, and took heed to the impression that I could not leave without talking to her about the Lord.

I found her hanging the clothes at the yard, approached her and asked if I could talk to her for a few minutes. This was the first time I have talked with her since she began working for us. The wife always managed these things. I opened up with a warm greeting, begged for pardon for not speaking to her, and asked her when she would die. She was taken aback as expected and answered with a realization that, she honestly does not know, but she hoped her goodness and  mass attendance would suffice. It was the perfect entry point for the gospel. I took her down slowly through the everyday slips she normally commits, that to her might seem ordinarily mundane, but to a holy God, was already grievous enough to merit death, such as lying, swearing and all the rest of the laws of God. How she saw herself standing before a judge, caught in the act and proven guilty beyond a doubt, deserving of capital penalty, and helpless to plea against the sentence. How God needed to exact justice for her crime, yet loved her enough to offer His Son in her place instead. She was told of the wonders of being a new creature in Christ, the life of salvation found only in Christ, the victory that comes with Christ against all the power of the enemy in her life, and the unfailing promises of God in Christ, if she would only acknowledge her ways and helplessness, ask the Lord for mercy, and turn away from her old practices. The words could not have come in a more simpler way that even a 5 year old can understand. I can almost hear my mouth teaching me what to say to others in future encounters. I was preaching to both of us.

She was teary eyed when she took a tract to read at home. She said she would definitely read it and thanked me. It was a day for the Lord to work in the heart of a simple person. I silently prayed for the Lord's blood to cover her, so as to drive the spiritual fowls away, who were just waiting to immediately take away the word sown in her heart.

I wanted to share this to emphasize the importance of one soul. How it deserves a chance to hear the good news, even at the expense of offending them. The testimony will either be for their benefit, or it will stand as a witness against them on the day of judgement. Either way, tell them.