by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)
"BLESS ME, REVEREND"
A few years ago my mother was visiting in my home. (At that time she lived in Texas.) It was my soul-winning day, and so I asked Mother if she would like to go soul winning with me. Though she was already in her seventies, she consented to go, and we had a wonderful afternoon.
First we led a little lady to Christ in her beautiful new home. (She is still a faithful member of our church.) Then several minutes later and several miles away we led a little lady to Christ who had an eight-year-old daughter who was still the size of a baby, retarded, afflicted, and blind. (Mother was particularly impressed, as her first baby, born years ago, never walked or talked until she died at the age of seven.)
We then went across the street and won a seventeen-year-old girl whose entire life is spent in a wheelchair.
After these wonderful experiences, we then drove to Indiana Harbor, which is several miles away, where we had the name and address of a lady who was unsaved. We drove down Main Street and found the address to be a store building. After inquiring we were informed that she lived in the rear of the store building in a humble apartment.
She greeted us warmly in a Spanish accent; in fact, she spoke with very broken English. How pleased she was that a pastor had come to see her. She asked me if I had come to bless her. Knowing that if she got saved, she would be blessed, I replied affirmatively. Oh, how pleased she was that the pastor had come by to bless her!
Then upon hearing that she could be forgiven of her sins by coming to God for herself, that all the penance had been paid by Jesus on the cross, that she could pray to God for herself, and that she herself could even become a priest, she was so ready to accept salvation as a gift from God. After she had prayed the "sinner's prayer," she assured me of her intentions to walk the aisle the next Sunday. (This she did.) As I started to leave, she said, "Father, you forgot to bless me!" Then I explained to her that God would have to bless her, but I would pray with her and for her.
How faithful she was through the years. Every Sunday she would make it a point to come to me between Sunday school and preaching to give me a word of encouragement and a warm smile. Though she was up in years and lived with a son many miles from our church, she got up early every Sunday and came these miles. Many of these Sundays she had to ride a bus.
She was poor (but rich); she was simple (but great). When she would go on a trip, she would always drop a card to the pastor. Sometimes the words were misspelled, but love was obvious in every line.
There was only one heartache in her life, and that was her unsaved son. Again and again she requested prayer, and again and again she asked what it would take for her son to be saved. How burdened she was for his salvation!
Then one week upon returning from vacation, a note was in my box telling me that "a Mrs. Rodriguez" had died. She had been buried in my absence. She was just "a Mrs. Rodriguez" to most of the people in the church, and to many she was just a little hard-to-understand Spanish-speaking lady who sat back in the back during the service. Her offerings were never big, her talents were few, but I felt that I had lost a real friend. My mind wandered back to the afternoon my mother and I had been in her home to "bless her."
The following Sunday morning I told the story in my message. At the end of the message, who do you think came forward receiving Christ as Saviour? It was her son. Now in Heaven she has found out what it would take to win him.
Though this dear lady has gone to Heaven, her son still attends the services of the First Baptist Church of Hammond.
