Rachel is sitting in your parking lot this Sunday.
Last week, her husband was arrested. He was dealing drugs. It was a long time coming, but this time he risked their son. Rachel is done.
She adjusts the rear view mirror to smile at her son.
“Well buddy, it’s you and me. I don’t want you to end up like me. I want you to know you are never alone.”
Rachel looks toward your church. People are walking in in groups. Families, couples, groups.
She takes a deep breath. When she was in elementary school, she had some friends that took her to church sometimes. Those kids all went to college and have great jobs. Rachel wants success and stability for her family. Maybe church will make a difference.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel gets out of the car, takes her son from his car seat and heads toward the doors. Maybe, no one will notice her…but if they don’t notice her, won’t that be worse? Fear resounds through her whole body with every step. Her determination is just a bit stronger and she continues forward.
A single mom has to overcome a lot of obstacles to walk into church – the social stigma of being a single mom, the pain of her background, then all the problems of fitting in alone, and the exhaustion of being a single parent.
Will your greeters know how to make Rachel feel comfortable? Will your sermon compound Rachel’s low self esteem and feelings of rejection?
Rachel wants to raise her son in church. She doesn’t know yet that God is what makes the difference. Can you show her that stability doesn’t come from doing the right things, but from knowing Jesus? Can you tell her that Jesus loves her just like she is?
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The people in this “Coming to Your Church This Sunday” series aren’t real. They are a compilation of people I have known, read about, heard of and heard from throughout the years. If you see yourself in them, I wasn’t writing about you – you just have a lot in common with the rest of the human race.
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