The Young Evangelist

The Young Evangelist
By Marilyn Mackenzie
May 3, 2002






I had quite a pity-party this evening. I had surgery on my knee a week ago. I was still in such pain and the pain medications all made me sick. The doctor told me not to baby my knee, yet I had certainly been walking gingerly, trying to keep some weight off the knee that hurt. The result was that the other knee was groaning from overuse. My old back injury was screaming too, even though it hadn't bothered me in many months. Walking crookedly had probably caused my back pain.

In the midst of feeling sorry for myself, I received an e-mail from a friend asking me to call him. I knew God must have heard my groanings. My mind was suddenly taken from my own pains, which will eventually cease, to the problems of another. My friend just had surgery for cancer and was in the middle of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. His problems were certainly far greater than mine.

Jim, too, was reminded that others have problems worse than his own. A friend of his, the grandfather of an eleven-year-old beautiful young lady, was mourning his granddaughter’s death. As Jim related her story and the suffering of her grandfather, tears welled in my eyes.

Julie was an active young lady, full of love for the Lord. Two weeks ago, she increased her evangelism efforts. She told everyone about Jesus. And she told everyone that she would soon be seeing Jesus herself. At the time, her family didn't think much about her proclamations that she'd be seeing Jesus soon. They were just proud that she was sharing her love of the Lord with everyone around her. But, she was, indeed, prophesying.

One day last week she came home from school, did her homework, ate dinner with the family and went outside to play. It was just like any other day in her life. She went to bed after saying her prayers, just like any other night. But Julie died in her sleep that night, and the autopsy performed showed no reason other than her heart just stopped.

Julie’s funeral was not a mourning and sad event. It was a celebration of the life of a young lady who shared the love of the Lord with everyone around her. Over 800 people showed up for the celebration of Julie’s life, and three people were saved and became followers of Jesus that day. One of them was one of Julie’s public school teachers who wanted to know the kind of love and joy and peace that Julie had come to know in her short life.

As I sat at my computer writing this, I had to sit with my leg elevated. It was quite uncomfortable, and my knee ached. But, I knew that my problem was a temporary one, and not that serious. There are others in this world with far greater problems than mine.

I wish I had known Julie personally. I hope I get to meet her in Heaven.