A devout Christian, she attended church every time the doors were open. I was a hard-drinking, foul mouthed, twenty-year-old who was living with Ruby's son, Jim, without being married. I don't know how she even looked at me. I can only imagine how many hours she spent on her knees praying for Jim and me. At first, I was amused by her. She would flinch a bit when I used profanity, and she tried to insert a Bible verse or two in our conversations. I had never attended such a church, or heard a message like the one the missionary gave. He said Jesus died on the cross for me. He emphasized God's unselfish love in giving his Son to die for my sins. Feeling unworthy of God's love, I almost cried, but that would have ruined my tough lady image. I couldn't break down in front of Ruby. So, I held back my tears and nonchalantly shrugged when she asked me if I enjoyed the service. Before I got to the door, however, I saw God's love in action. People I didn't know welcomed me and showed an interest in me. I was overwhelmed by the friendliness of Ruby's church family. At home, I thought about the missionary's words. I couldn't imagine God loving me enough to send His Son to die for me. And I thought about the church members. They welcomed me even though I didn't dress or speak the way they did. Both the message and the people made me hope for a type of love I hungered for. Ruby continued to welcome me into her home, even on the mornings when Jim would stop to pick up his younger brother for work and it was obvious that he and I were hung over from a night of partying. Her acceptance of me, in spite of her disapproval of my lifestyle, amazed me. Ruby's love and her church's kindness encouraged me to seek a closer walk with God. God's love is a free gift that we don't deserve and can't earn. The pastor read John 3:16-17, which describd God's gift of eternal life and reminded me Jesus came to save, not comdemn the world. In 1 John 1:9, he explained God's promise to forgive our sins if we confess them and turn from them. Tenderly, Pastor Ivers led me in prayer to ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. God forgave me, and I held to his promise of eternal life. I felt peace and deep joy and couldn't wait to tell Jim. He was cautiously pleased. As a preacher's son, he knew the difference God would make in my life, bringing peace and joy, but he wondered how it might change our relationship. When I told Ruby the news, her hug and the tears runnig down her face spoke volumes. Within two months I moved out of Jim's place. Angry, he accused me of acting holier-than-thou. He wasn't happy about my getting baptized, reading the Bible, and going to church. He wasn't ready for the rapid changes. I quit drinking, but he drank more. Whenever I called in the evenings, he wasn't home, and I knew he was at the bars. It was dark and lonely time for me. I had Jesus, but I didn't have the man I loved. It hurt a lot. But I decided that as God's child, I had made the right decision. My old life had to die and with it my old relationship, too. I prayed God would give Jim back to me, but for now I had to surrender him. After moving out, I lived alone in a tent in a campground because I couldn't afford to pay rent. I didn't want to live with Ruby or others whom Jim might blame for my desertion of him. It was a difficult time, and yet Jesus walked with me through that lonely valley. Today, Ruby is my mother-in-law, or should I say, my mother-in-love. Nineteen years later, I'm thankful she is still loving us and praying for us through good times and bad. Our son is a teenager and sometimes I worry about his future relationships. I see young adults who are unkempt and foul mouthed, and my first instinct is to avoid them, feeling very self-righteous. And then God reminds me that I was just like them, and someone loved anyway. Someone welcomed me into her home even when I was unlovable. It's my turn to show that kind of love. It isn't easy, so I'm spending lots of time in prayer. With God's help, I'll pass on Ruby's legacy of unconditional love. Author is Jane Conner From Moody Magazine
Ruby was a fifty-seven-year-old widow. I came on the scene in 1978; the girlfriend of Ruby's twenty-seven-year-old son. No two women could have been less alike, and yet she passed on a legacy to me.
As the months progressed and our relationship deepened, she began inviting me to church. I usually made excuses to avoid going, but finally, because I loved her son and hoped to earn brownie points with the woman who could be my future mother-in-law, I agreed to attend a special service featuring a missionary speaker.
I attended church as a child, but the family merely, "put in time." We arrived as late as we could and left immediately without speaking to anyone.
In the spring, Ruby told us her church would be helping to start an outreach church. She encouraged us to attend. We visited this new church on Easter; their first Sunday service. As the pastor preached on God's love and forgiveness, I sat through the service thinking, "I'm not good enough for that gift!" Inside I was weeping, but I didn't cry on the outside until after the service. When the pastor, Bob Ivers, shook my hand at the back of the church, he politely said, "Thanks for coming! How are you today?" I immediately broke into tears and said, "Not very good!" "Do you want to talk about it?" he said "I'm not good enough for God to love!" I said through my tears. We sat down, and opening his Bible, the pastor showed me that none of us are "good enough" for God to love.
Over the next few weeks, the best gifts Ruby gave me were time and prayer. She didn't expect immediate perfection. She didn't demand that I leave Jim, give up drinking, pray and read my Bible every day, and attend every church service. She continued to pray for me, love me, and accept me as a baby Christian who had a long way to grow. But I knew I needed to make some changes.
Two months later, Jim asked me if we could date again. We knelt together and asked Jesus to be the head of our lives and to help us remain sexually pure until we were married. Four months later, Pastor Ivers married us in a joyful ceremony.
