It was an early Saturday morning and I had run to the grocery store just a few blocks from my house. The sun was shining, and the air was scrubbed clean from an overnight shower. With a to-do list as long as my right arm, I quickly loaded the contents of my grocery cart into the back of my truck.
A woman with a smile as bright as the sun walked toward me, a Watchtower in hand. I sighed. I really didn’t have time for this. My home was on the Jehovah’s Witness blacklist already, but they didn’t know not to approach me in a parking lot.
“Hello! How are you today?” She was cheery and inviting.
“I’m fine, thank you, but you probably don’t want to bother with me because I’ve been banned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.” I tried not to sound rude, but it sounded that way anyway. I just didn’t want to waste our time.
“Banned? I doubt that. Why do you say that?”
“Well, I invited the Jehovah’s Witness ladies who came by my house every week, to my house for a Bible Study so that we could discuss our differences. After a couple of hours, we all had more questions than answers for each other, and they agreed to return the following week. I baked some muffins and I cleaned my house, but no one showed up. There hasn’t been a knock on my door since…and I’ve seen them on my block. They just skip my house.”
We stood there discussing a few points.
And then she did it. She looked at me and very sincerely said, “Why don’t you go door to door? I’ve never had anyone (a Christian) come to my door.”
I have gone door to door, and I let her know that I have, but her confidence that I had never witnessed door to door alarmed me. Because of our lack of evangelism, she was able to without a doubt in her mind, assume that because this is an American Christian before me, I can assume that she has never done any witnessing.
We wished each other well, and I concluded our conversation with, a touch on her hand and these words, “I sincerely hope that our differences don’t end up meaning that one of us misses out on the eternal life God has planned for man.”
I got in the car, and turned the key. And the whole conversation made me wonder. What if I had gone to her door? What if I had beat the Jehovah’s Witnesses to her home? She was obviously hungry for something the day they came by. It almost sounded as if she wished someone had come to her home. If I had, and she made a decision for Christ, I wondered what she would be doing that early Saturday morning. Would she be standing in the parking lot too busy to talk to a Jehovah’s Witness? Would she be making a to-do list more of a priority than a person?
Listing the graces I’ve recognized this past week with Ann.
#26 – Grateful for lessons learned from my Jehovah’s Witness friend.
#27 – For good doctor’s reports from friends and famliy
#28 – For the sticky goodness of pumpkin donuts
#29 – I am thankful for the beauty of an apricot sunset.
#30 – For the grace to live in the here and now.
#31 – For creative friends who change the world
#32 – For the warm glow of a bonfire on a cool October night.
and Michelle
and my lovely friend Jen
journeytoepiphany.wordpress.com 
“I sincerely hope that our differences don’t end up meaning that one of us misses out on the eternal life God has planned for man.” What an open and inviting statement. Good for you.
Thanks friend.
Jehovahs Witnesses apostate belief system.
A) They are at your door to recruit you for their watchtower society corporation,they will say that *we are just here to share a message from the Bible*… this is deception right off.
B) Their *message* creed is a false Gospel that Jesus had his second coming in 1914.The problem with this is it’s not just a cute fairy tale,Jesus warned of the false prophets who would claim *..look he is here in the wilderness,or see here he is at the temple*.
C) Their anti-blood transfusion ban against *whole blood* has killed thousands.
D) once they recruit you they will *love bomb* you in cult fashion to also recruit your family & friends or cut them off.
*Wolves in sheep’s clothing*
—-
My family was spiritually and financially swindled by the apostate Watchtower society,3rd generation Jehovah’s Witness Danny Haszard
FMI dannyhaszard(dot)com
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you came to the truth! I want to love bomb people with no other motive than the love of Jesus. Something else I can learn from the JW’s!
Wow, that does give me something to think about. And pumpkin donuts? Where do you get those? Sounds yummy! Enjoyed reading your blessings today:)
I have two words for you.. Dunkin. Donuts.
Years and years ago my lonely mother-in-law welcomed JW’s into her home and thus began her lifetime indoctrination into untruth. I would discuss scripture with her – and the verse I always used and stood on was, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one goes to The Father except through Me.” (Jesus). Several years ago she laid dying and although she hadn’t been my MIL for years, I know Holy Spirit sent me 800 miles to take a night watch with her. She did not speak to me but she was lucid – she was so scared to die. Once again I urged her to cry out from her heart to accept Christ as her Savior and Lord. I am confident that she did that. All of that to say this, my grandma said to me a very long time ago, “Where were the Christians? Why didn’t I/they knock on her door and deliver The Truth to that lonely, lost lady?” Shame on us.
Wonderful, thought-provoking post. THANK YOU.
You are so welcome. We do evangelize in ways other than going door to door, as Christians. However, the JW’s commitment astounds and convicts me. They live what they believe…and yet they are under the bondage of works. Do we take the grace that we have been given so freely and use it for an excuse to do little or nothing? God forbid!
God forbid!
This is a beautiful post…so thought provoking. I liked your list of graces, too. Gratitude is such an amazing thing.
Gratitude makes every moment worth living.
What beautiful witness you have left for us this morning! I don’t think any of us need to wonder that you have witnessed as a Christian in thousands of ways and never really thought it about it.
Sherrey,
I hope you are right. We all need to endeavor to make being a light in this dark world a priority. Thanks for your kind words!!
A great post, really gets the thinking going.
And as always, I’ll throw in a humourous episode. We had a really dedicated Australian lady, working for the Witnesses, come to our door at the trailer where we used to live. They assumed (with excellent justification) that they were gonna get a redneck. Instead, they got me – with 40 years of history studies, and a brother-in-law with multiple degrees, all in religious studies. (He also speaks and reads ancient Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and a couple others fluently.) Well, through the course of a delightful hour, I chatted with the lady and an older gent with her, peppering her attempts at converting me with historical tidbits and bits of scripture, which absolutely floored the older gent. She admitted she didn’t get anywhere, but asked if she could come back in a few weeks and talk again, and being rather lonely, I said that was fine. Turns out she identified me as a “trial” – if a door-to-door person could survive my “audition”, they were ready for the world! She finally gave up about a year and a half later, and ended up returning to Australia – though not due to me. (I would have felt REALLY bad if I had driven her from the continent!) To This day, the only young gent I “passed” comes back every couple months, chats for a bit, then leaves – with a different “escort” every time. I think I’m still “testing”! 😀
I don’t know how I missed this comment! I love it! Most JW’s seem very sincere in their efforts… I think love, kindness and prayer is the only way to show them God’s love. You’ve never been a trial around these parts!!! Only a complete blessing.
These words convict me, dear cousin. There have been so many times that I have been gently nudged by the Holy Spirit, but have been too afraid to step out in faith. I pray that God would give me more opportunities to tell the world about Him, and that I would have the confidence in Him to speak His truth!
You are sweet. Hugs…
Good, hard questions here, Jen. I really like how you make me think.
Michelle,
Thanks so much for stopping by!
The words of this post have sincerely moved me to think, where are the Christians? We seem to spend so much time defending ourselves against other denominations, filling up our local churches and protecting ourselves from false teachings etc. that we are left with no more time to “Go out and make disciples”. May God forgive us, strengthen us and equip us to bring in the overflowing Harvest. Amen.
What a great observations. May they know we are Christians by our love!!
This was wonderful, KD. First, I am happy you gave her the time of day. Second, I am glad you shared your story with her. One may never know how your words lingered on her heart. You may have changed her mind that day …. Good for you!
Thanks Lenore! Be careful for a murder of crows…;)
You took away a lot from that meeting and made me think about Christianity. True, I haven’t had many Christian’s come to my door, but then again, I don’t answer my door very often. Like you, now I wonder how many lifes would be changed if we did go door-to-door.
I have gone door to door, and have seen very little results. I think the key is to let people know that we genuinely care, and it’s difficult to do that on a door to door witnessing encounter. Maybe if we each took our own neighborhood as a project and went door to door with kindness…Well, I’m off to bake apple bread….for the neighbors! Pray that fruit abounds!
Enjoyed reading your thoughts on this. A JW couple came to our home, new Christians we were, and we offered to pray for them–they seemed a bit discombobulated, and left.
That sounds quick, easy and painless. I’ll try that next time.