Encourage the Inactive Ones
https://www.jw.org/finder?srcid=share&wtlocale=E&lank=pub-jwbai_201511_1_VIDEO
My name is Abbey.
These are my friends and family.
This is me and Laura.
Laura is my sister.
But up until a few months ago, I didn’t even know who she was.
It all began when I got lost going home on the subway.
A woman was nice enough to help me out.
Her name was Laura.
She offered me a map, and I offered her a tract.
But it turned out that she was a Witness, and I was surprised to find out that she lived near my apartment.
It made me wonder though; I had never seen her at our congregation.
Not long after that, the Clarks had me over for supper.
They’re awesome cooks, and Brother Clark is an elder in my hall.
I mentioned what happened to me on the subway, and he knew Laura right away.
He explained that she was in our congregation but had been feeling down for quite a while.
She had become inactive, and even though the brothers had been visiting her and doing their best to help, she just seemed to be stuck.
So I asked if it would be OK for me to visit her.
Brother Clark thought it was a great idea.
I was going to help Laura.
I knew we’d be best friends in no time.
But we weren’t.
I was able to talk to her, but it wasn’t a good time.
And it didn’t go well at <i>all.</i>
I felt so silly afterward.
All I could think was: ‘Who am I to jump in and try to fix things? ‘I have no idea what I’m doing.
‘I should have just left it to the elders. If they hadn’t been able to help her, what chance did I have?’ The next time I saw Brother Clark, I explained what happened, told him how I felt, and just kept apologizing for everything.
But he wasn’t angry or disappointed or anything.
Instead, he commended me for taking an interest in Laura.
He told me that the elders weren’t going to give up on her and that I shouldn’t either.
Then he showed me Jesus’ illustration in Luke chapter 15, verse 8.
Talking about those who’ve strayed from the flock, Jesus said: “Or what woman who has ten drachma coins, “if she loses one of the drachmas, “does not light a lamp and sweep her house and search carefully until she finds it?” He told me that the obligation to help a weak Christian was not beyond my abilities but that I had to be persistent and keep searching.
I realized that this wasn’t just a coin or an heirloom.
I had lost my sister, and I didn’t even know it.
I knew that I had to do whatever I could to help.
But this time I wanted to do it right.
So I did research and I prayed and I prepared.
At first, I just tried to make up for how things had gone last time.
She still didn’t open up much, but it was a start.
I kept coming, and so did the elders.
It took time and it took effort, but we started to get to know each other better, and she started to share more with me.
Sometimes, out of discouragement or depression, she could say things she really didn’t mean, “wild talk,” but I just tried to be a good listener.
One time, I gave her a big hug and told her, “I love you so much, and Jehovah does too.” And in the end, I discovered something very precious; that our brothers and sisters can become lost and need our help, and we don’t need to be elders just to listen and to love.
I found Laura, my lost sister and my new friend.
jwbai_201511-E
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