The Power of God’s Word in My Life

MY MIND goes back three years to a time when my life was filled with turmoil. I did not know Jehovah God then, and my life was a testimony to that.

I was in the second year of a very shaky marriage. My first marriage, which began when I was sixteen, ended eight years later, with my first husband being sent to prison. I met my second husband a few months later. After living together for six months without benefit of marriage, we decided to marry.

My husband and I both were employed full time. He was manager of a store, and I was the bookkeeper for an insurance agency. Both jobs required all our time and energy. Our two children (mine by my former marriage) were left with their grandparents the greater part of the time.

The leisure time we had was spent staying high on LSD or mescaline trips, and by smoking marijuana or inhaling THC. After a weekend of that it was hard to go to work on Monday morning. To compensate, we would take amphetamines to keep us functioning. This type of life led to immorality, and it looked as though this marriage, the second for both of us, was heading for divorce.

LEARNING BIBLE TRUTHS

It was then that a close friend of mine, who was having marital problems of her own, decided to take a trip to Colorado to see if she could clear her mind. While staying with old friends there, she discovered that they were studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. At first she was skeptical, but then the information they were sharing with her from the Bible began to make sense.

Upon returning home she contacted the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and asked if someone would come to her home for a Bible study. Someone did. Next she called me, and this proved to be the beginning of many long conversations about the Bible.

Eventually my friend invited me to her home to meet the couple with whom she was studying. After one hour with them, I was amazed. These were not ignorant people, as I had thought. They were well trained in the use of the Bible. I couldn’t wait for my husband to meet them. But he wasn’t interested. He told me if that’s what I wanted, it was OK, but to leave him out of it.

However, after eavesdropping on a few of the Bible discussions of my friend and myself, his curiosity got the better of him. He agreed to meet the couple. His reaction was similar to mine, and a Bible study began. After a few months we realized that what we were learning was the truth the Bible speaks of at John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It did set us free. Free from the use of drugs, immorality, and the unsatisfying pursuit of material gains.

A MATTER OF THEFT

As the time neared for us to symbolize our dedication to serve Jehovah God by undergoing water baptism, my conscience began to trouble me. There was one sin I had committed that I knew must be resolved. It was theft.

My position as bookkeeper had given me full charge of the company’s finances and monthly financial statements. The embezzlement began during my first marriage. My first husband was always involved in illegal activities, and it required a great deal of money to keep him out of trouble. Finally, he was put in prison.

When he went to prison, I was left with two children to support. My income wouldn’t cover all our debts and support my family. So, I stole.

Now, here I was ready to dedicate my life to Jehovah, and although I had quit stealing, I was lying when I turned in the false financial statement each month. I knew I could not serve Jehovah until I could live my life in truth.​—Prov. 14:5.

RESOLVING THE PROBLEM

My husband and I took the problem to Jehovah in prayer. Our next step was to tell the whole story to the Christian elder with whom we were studying. I was sure these beautiful people would find my acts unforgivable. How little I knew then about Jehovah’s people! The love, concern and aid given me by them are qualities that you don’t find in today’s world.

An appointment was made for me to go to a lawyer with my problem. During the ride to the lawyer’s office and while taking the elevator to his suite, I prayed to Jehovah for strength to do what I knew was His will. (Phil. 4:13) The lawyers were not surprised that I had been stealing the money. They were surprised, however, that I wanted to expose the thefts.

“No one knew,” they said. “Why not pay it back slowly?”

I explained my desire to serve Jehovah God, and the need to begin that service with a clean conscience. They decided to make an appointment with my employer and inform him of my theft. I had to wait a week before the day they met. That week is one I’ll never forget! I spent the nights beside my children’s bedside, knowing I would probably be sent to prison and wondering what would become of them.

My husband loves them. He feels like they are his own children, but my parents violently opposed our new-found faith, and I was afraid they would take the children from him. Our marriage had been made new now that we were applying Bible principles, and it was breaking my heart to think of being separated from my husband.

We were in constant prayer to Jehovah. I asked that, if he felt I could better serve him as a Witness in prison, he would give me the strength to carry out that will. My employer, although shocked by my dishonesty, admired the honesty acquired with my new faith. He agreed to help to arrange with the bonding company for me to repay the money. He even wanted me to continue working there, but the bonding company wouldn’t allow it. We had to wait eight months for the decision.

I’m not writing this from prison, but from my own home. They agreed to let me repay this debt. So, not only have we had the joy of seeing our children learn of Jehovah, but at our recent circuit assembly we saw our sixteen-year-old foster daughter symbolize her dedication to serve Jehovah God. She graduated from school last summer and is now auxiliary pioneering. And as of July 1, 1976, I, too, began the full-time witnessing work.

My husband now enjoys sharing congregational responsibilities and was privileged to work at two district assemblies last summer during his vacation.

We thank Jehovah for his loving-kindness and forgiveness and for allowing us to serve Him. We have found Psalm 144:15 to be true: “Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!”​—Contributed.