“My Boss & His Wife”

All the previous Salvation Stories, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed thinking about and sharing with all of you, have been about family salvation. This week I am moving to another group of lost souls whom God will use YOU to help to plant, water or even reap in the harvest.

This week, as the title says, this Salvation Story is about my boss. The entire outrageously wonderful incident is so fresh in my mind because I had just been enjoying reminiscing about it with my son Easton. We were in awe about how incredible it was and it came to my mind right after Easton had just shared how he had been used by God to bring a man back to the Lord, or maybe to Him for the first time. Regardless, the story sparked how honored we both were to be used to harvest a soul, and in today’s story—two souls who were obviously ready to be harvested.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 TLB—
“A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest”

Hopefully, this story will encourage you to realize that the Lord will use us no matter how foolish, as long as our lives are an Epistle.

2 Corinthians 3:2, KJV—
“Ye are our epistles written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” NASB “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men.”

Remember, the term witness has come to mean something entirely different than what it was intended. It’s not a license to confront and condemn others, instead of as the verse says, He hopes to write His letter of love on your heart, so He is seen written all over your life!

When it was time for this couple’s salvation to be harvested, God had me working part-time for an orthodontist in Florida. My oldest daughter was just a baby, still nursing, so her dad brought her to me halfway through my day on the days I worked. At this time in our lives, we were attending the Baptist church where our oldest son was enrolled in first grade (prior to me homeschooling). So, as was expected as members, we were encouraged to invite people we knew or met, like neighbors and/or coworkers, also family (though we had no family living nearby) to visit our church with us.

For several weeks I’d been inviting some of the orthodontic assistants to attend, including a couple of the front desk staff, when one day the doctor approached me, almost angry, and said, “Aren’t you ever going to ask Gina and me?!”

My jaw dropped. I was stunned because, for one, I never dreamed either of them would be interested; to me, they clearly didn’t even believe in God. Secondly, it never occurred to me to invite my boss, when each Sunday they would list “coworker” not your boss! So this is proof that this verse, which I believe sums up why He’s chosen me so often, is proven to be true once again:

1 Corinthians 1:27 Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“For God has chosen the foolish of the world to shame and confound the wise.”

So no matter how you may feel you’re lacking, to the point of being foolish, the Good News is that you don’t even have to be aware of what He’s doing or be eloquent or knowledgeable or anything else. All you need is a pure heart, loving the Lord with your entire being and daily experiencing His love, to do amazing things!

When my boss questioned me, I did what any anointed believer would do, I stammered not knowing what to say.  Then as eloquently as I could, I said, “Uh, well, yeah, sure, I guess…. Okay, would you and Gina like to come to visit our church this Sunday?” To which he replied, “Yes! I’d thought you’d never ask; we’d love to!”

That morning we sat nervously through the sermon that clearly was nothing either of them would be interested in. Yet, when our pastor asked people to come up front, my boss and his wife stood, held hands and walked down to the front of the church. Later, when they met us after the service, they both couldn’t thank me enough. Ha, silly isn’t it, because I really did nothing but forget to even ask them to come!

My boss said they had plans for lunch, so I thought I wouldn’t see him until I worked again, but I was in for another surprise—no, this time I was shocked. We were running late for some reason, so when we snuck into the sanctuary later that Sunday for the evening service, the lights were dimmed and as we walked quickly down the aisle I looked up to see my boss and his wife getting baptized!! Talk about—never in my wildest dreams!! Standing together, hearing them speak about being invited and how clean they said they felt, and how joyful they were for the first time in their lives, made my knees almost give way beneath me. Yet God still was not finished proving to me (and others who I’ve shared this with), that He wants to use us by simply doing what is asked of us. Nothing could be more simple.

The next day was the beginning of Vacation Bible School and though I knew as soon as we opened the classroom door my younger son would tell me, no, he didn’t want to go, because I was volunteering anyway, I was again about to experience what little faith it takes to be used by Him. As we walked down the hallway, I could hear a class singing the song that goes, “Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had father Abraham…” and as I opened the door there was my boss’s wife, Gina, marching and swinging her arms (as part of the song), leading her son and the other children around the room!!! A picture I have thought about hundreds of times over these many years.

Though we moved away soon afterward, my boss and his wife became a fixture of our former church, soon he was an elder, and I also heard that many of their outspoken atheist family began attending with them, their salvation comes as a result!

Though the reason for these salvation stories is to give you the assurance of His promises regarding our loved ones being saved, He also would gladly use us if we’re just a willing vessel. And take it from me, He loves choosing the foolish to confound the wise. Many love to tell you it takes a lot more ability and training to be used by Him—but I’m here to prove them wrong. All you need is a heart that is open and is willing to be used!

Exodus 14:13—
“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today..."

2 Chronicles 20:17—
You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf . . . Do not fear or be dismayed . . . the Lord is with you.”