Last year, I met a young lady in a place I often go to.
The way she dressed caught everyone’s attention. She didn’t cover her body. Tattoos were visible. Everyone in that area knew her, and not for “good reasons,” according to society. She had been labeled, judged, condemned, and treated as though she had committed the greatest sin on earth.
The first day she saw me, she smiled and said,
“Beautiful sister.” I smiled back.
She looked shocked and said,
“Ah… so sisters do smile?”
I laughed and replied,
“Yes, why not?”
She said she had never seen a sister smile before.
I told her,
“Well, you’ve seen one today.”
From that day, I said to her,
“You are my friend.”
Every time I greeted her after that, she smiled, a real smile.
People stared.
People whispered.
People watched.
One day, someone walked up to me and said,
“Sister, talking to this lady and smiling with her doesn’t speak well of you. You are a sister. You’re not supposed to associate with people like her. Look at the way she dresses. Look at her body.”
My response was simple:
God did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
She said,
“People are looking at you.”
I replied, ” That’s fine. ”
Days later, this lady saw me and asked if she could visit me. We exchanged numbers.
One day, I met her at the supermarket. She said,
“Sister, I want to see you privately.” I said, “Okay. ”
Suddenly, she began to cry.
I asked her what was wrong.
With tears, she said,
“Sister, I know people say many bad things about me. But you still stand with me. You still talk to me. You’re still my friend. I never believed someone like you would ever come close to me.”
Then she said something that broke my heart:
“I have done terrible things. I don’t think God can ever forgive me. Anything that concerns God, I already threw it away.”
That was when I told her the truth:
👉 God does not separate Himself from people. We are the ones who run away from God.
👉 This is not the time God rejects you, this is the time He needs you most.
She said,
“Sister, because of you, I now have hope. But what I’ve done… if I tell you, you might stop being my friend.”
I told her to share.
She did.
The story was painful. Heavy. Deep. Yet, I told her,
“God did not come for the righteous. He came for sinners. God has a purpose for you. Be grateful that you are still alive.”
She looked at me and said,
“You are the last person I ever expected to come close to me.”
Then she added,
“Sister, I smoke.”
I said, “I know. ” Then She asked ,
“You know I smoke and you still talk to me?”
I replied, ” Yes. ” She said,
“My heart is very heavy right now.” I told her, ” I am sorry. ”
She continued,
“Many men and women of God don’t come close to me because of my dressing. You are the only person who smiled with me. I never believed it.”
Then she asked,
“Sister, where is your parish?”I told her. She said,
“One of these days, I will come to your church.”
I replied, “It must not be my parish. You can worship anywhere.” She said, “Okay
After one week, I saw her again. She said,
“My beautiful sister, I have something to tell you.”
I told her, “Go on.”
She said she used to smoke 10 packets of cigarettes every day.
Now, she is down to two.
She said,
“Sister, it’s a gradual process. Please keep praying for me. I really want to change.”
And I told her,
“He ( God) will finish what He has started.”
Last Sunday, I saw her again, in the parish.
When our eyes met, we smiled at each other.
No long sermon.
No condemnation.
No judgment.
Just love.
SIN DOES NOT SEPARATE YOU FROM GOD.
Religion and people may push you away, but God never does.
Before you point fingers, remember:
You might be the only Bible someone ever reads.
You might be the only face of God someone ever encounters.
Choose love.
Choose mercy.
Choose to reflect Christ.
