Tracy: "When you're prosperous and successful, Jesus loves you . . . "

Tracy came from northern Illinois, the only child of her parents who divorced when she was very young. She was shuttled back and forth between her mother who remained in Illinois and her father who had moved to Minnesota. Tracy did well in school and was granted an academic scholarship to college. After graduation, she moved to Florida to begin teaching in a public school and pursue her Masters in elementary education.

After earning her Masters and chalking up fourteen years in a successful teaching career, Tracy’s life started coming unraveled. Either she never knew, couldn’t remember, or was ashamed to say what actually happened, but her teaching career came to an abrupt end when she not only lost her job, but also her teaching certificate. Tracy did the only thing she knew to do. Since her father had passed away, she went home to her mother. She told me that her mother was incensed that she had failed, and told her that she was not welcome in her home. Feeling rejected and alone, Tracy turned in desperation to anything that could give her a measure of relief from the pain she was experiencing. "I’m broken and ruined," she said, "my life is an absolute wreck. If something doesn’t happen soon to help me turn my life around, I’m not going to survive." It was very obvious from the desperation in her eyes and the stress in her voice that she believed every word she was saying.

It was then that I said to Tracy, "God can help you. Your life has not gotten so out of whack that God cannot take it in His strong loving hands and put it back together."

Tracy then cast her eyes aside in a look of cynicism and said, "God’s not going to do anything for me." She went on to tell me of her experience with "church." Her mother had been banned from communion and shunned by the congregation when she and Tracy’s father had divorced. Although she and her mother attended church from time to time after that, it was always a painful experience. As far as she was concerned, the rejection she felt from the church and religious people meant God has rejected her too. "Let me tell you how it is," Tracy continued, "When you’re successful and prosperous, Jesus loves you. But when you’re down and out, he’s nowhere to be found."

By this time, Tracy’s eyes were glistening with tears. I said, "No, Tracy! That’s not the Bible Jesus. That’s the religious Jesus–the fake Jesus that has been invented by religious people. The Jesus of the Bible is close to broken people. That’s the reason he came to earth–it was for people who have screwed up their lives so badly they think there’s no hope for them. There is nothing you could have done, no mistake you could have made, no sin you could have committed that would lessen his love for you. He will take you exactly as you are, forgive you, cleanse you, restore you, and give you the life you have always wanted–the life you were created to live."

She cried, "All I want is to go home. I want my mother to hug me and tell me she loves me. I want us to go to church and be accepted. I want to be connected with the people I love."

And I said, "I want this for you, Tracy, but you can pin your hopes on what Mom might do or what the church might do. You have to put your trust in God alone. He is the only one who cannot fail you."

She continued to say, "But if my mom would just . . . if the church would just . . . if the family would just . . . " Tracy is where so many homeless, hopeless, hapless people are: looking and waiting for someone to care about them and help lift them out of their pit of despair. We must do what we can to come to their aid, but we must never fail to point them to Christ. At the end of the day, He is the only one who can turn their lives around.

Pray for Tracy and the thousands of other Tracys out there who are lost and lonely. And pray for us as we seek to be God’s loving hand extended to them.