A Different Woman

By guest writer, Waldene Drake.

For weeks, I’d been watching a woman sitting near me at church. She stood out from other churchgoers; her arms were covered with tattoos. She had difficulty finding Bible passages and was seemingly unfamiliar with the music. I spoke to her one Sunday and then on subsequent weeks.

When one particular Sunday, I showed

interest in learning more of her story,

Kerrie (not her real name) disclosed

that she was a recovering alcoholic and

methamphetamine addict who had come to Christ 18 months earlier.

A Burden from The Lord

The Lord repeatedly put this woman on my heart. I agonized about it for weeks, telling Him, “We’re so different. We don’t have anything in common.”  Then, I came across this quotation: “You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your decision on what to do with the burden God put in your heart.” [1]

A Shocking Life Story

So, taking a step of faith, I approached Kerrie, “Would you like to have lunch with me?”  Kerrie immediately replied, “Oh, yes!”  At that first lunch, I shed tears as I listened to Kerrie’s story. Her mother first introduced Kerrie to drugs by offering the 16-year-old Vicodin pills as a remedy for cramps. In her young adult years, with a troublesome home life, she developed an addiction, relying on any prescription narcotic she could get. When those drugs later failed to ease her pain, she turned to illegal street drugs, including methamphetamine.

Eventually Kerrie’s family and friends withdrew their support and tolerance for her destructive behaviors. In her early 30s, Kerrie found herself living on the streets of our metropolitan city. For three years, she daily scavenged food from garbage cans and slept on the street or inside garbage enclosures behind restaurants. Any protective structure lessened the chance of her being attacked, robbed, or raped, as all these assaults occurred more than once.

God Was Closer Than She Knew

During those years, Kerrie did not yet know about God’s open door: “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV). Finally, one night, dirty, hungry, addicted, and in poor health, Kerrie reached the end of her rope!  On a dirty street corner, Kerrie called out to a God she hoped would hear her, praying, “God, I’m done. Help me!” 

That night, Kerrie discovered that our Heavenly Father was as close as her breath. On the corner of 35th street, Kerrie became the “new creature” the New Testament describes: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”  (Galatians 3:26, NIV). Further, Jesus explained, “‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life’” (John 5:24, NIV). At that moment, Kerrie had, indeed, made that death-to-life step.

God’s immediate response

Of course, God responded in redemptive and miraculous ways! Over the next days, He sent individuals to facilitate her transition into an addiction recovery program that also provided medical care and housing. Her struggle to get clean was hard, but she was on her way. Then, someone invited her to church.

For some time, Kerrie and I met weekly to talk about her new Christian walk. She discovered the richness of God’s Word and the power of prayer. At lunch one day, she excitedly told me, “I found my story in the book of John!”  She identified with the needy beggar languishing by the pool of Bethesda that John described:

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in

this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get

well?” 

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool

when the water is stirred. … Then Jesus said to him, “Get up!

Pick up your mat and walk.” (John 5:6-8, NIV)

Like the beggar lying helpless beside that pool, Kerrie heard that same voice, which called to her, “Get up and walk!”

A Supreme Example and A Supreme Outcome

Jesus never treated women as His inferior. In fact, He often sought out the unseen, unnoticed women, observing the hurt and discouragement in their eyes. Because Jesus always treated them with respect and personal interest, we know their stories today.

Now, with God’s help, Kerrie is five years clean and sober. She leans on God for her daily sobriety!  However, the Bible warns us that sin has consequences—for all of us. For Kerrie, years of drug use necessitates her wearing dentures due to tooth decay.  Untreated episodes of pneumonia make her lungs more susceptible to respiratory illness. The street attacks, especially one blow to the head, permanently affects Kerrie’s vision. Moreover, as any recovering addict knows, she fights the constant lure of drugs and alcohol.  

A Challenge

It is probable that you know a “Kerrie” in your group, neighborhood, or church—someone who does not look like you, lives a different lifestyle, or perhaps dresses better than you!  Yet she bears a look of loneliness with hurting eyes. Would you consider stepping out in faith and asking her, “Would you like to have lunch? I’d love to hear your story.”

Dan Britton, Executive Vice President of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, writes,

“God is in the stretching business! He wants us to leave the familiar, the safe

and the comfortable so He can grow, build and strengthen our faith. He loves

to take us out of our comfort zones and put us into faith zones. Faith zones

that require us to put ourselves in situations where we must pray.” [2]

A Lasting Effect

My life’s road has been nothing like Kerrie’s.  And probably, neither has yours! I am privileged to watch God continue to reveal Himself to her. My life is so much richer for taking the risk, stepping outside my comfort level and walking alongside her. As a result, I see God, and life, through a much wider scope these days!    

Now, please excuse me. I see a new woman over there. I think I’ll go talk to her! How about you? Be willing to risk it. It might change your life! The chorus of a hymn describes the beauty of the cross that welcomes all:

The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

Anyone may come there for there is no cost.

Rich man or poor man, bonded or free.

The ground was leveled that day at Calvary.

                                                --Beverly Lowry[3]

Let’s be willing to walk with others on their journeys to the foot of the cross.  __________________________________________________________________

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[1] Stanley, Andy. “The Better Question.” Re:Solution, Part 1.  Your Move with Andy Stanley.    21 Feb. 2020.

[2] Britton, Dan.  “Miracle in the Mountains.”  Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  31 July 2022.  LinkedIn. LinkedIn.com.

[3] Lowry, Beverly.  “At The Foot of the Cross.”  Qtd. in “Devotional: The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross.”  Seeds of Faith.  14 December 2017.  Pastorterryblog.wordpress.com.

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Waldene Drake, RN, MBA, lives in AZ. She enjoys reading, crocheting and summer travels to baseball parks. She served for 15 years as Vice President of Risk Management for the Cooperative of American Physicians, a professional liability company covering 12,000 California physicians. She taught numerous physician Risk Management seminars and was an invited speaker at dozens of physician association and hospital medical staff educational meetings. She created and developed the Risk Management Institute, an online educational program for medical office staff. Waldene authored numerous Risk Management articles for both her company and for national publications.

Waldene’s husband, Tom, served as an Executive Pastor for 20+ years, supporting the Lead Pastor in preaching duties, ministry projects, church Christian Education, and Christian School administration. During those years, Waldene served in multiple capacities supporting her husband and their church’s ministries.

Upon retirement, Waldene and her husband began to work in the Calling for Christ ministry to professional baseball umpires. Over the summer, they meet with young men, to support the believers in their faith and share the love of God with all the men with whom they visit. Through this ministry, Tom and Waldene have been rewarded to see dozens of young umpires have come to Christ, been baptized, and experienced spiritual growth as they progress in their career.

Waldene is active in a local, weekly Women’s Bible Study group which she also periodically teaches.