women in the word
A once happy girl w home. The sadness in her that she was a sin
hope of h
Meanwhile, standing in that crowded hall, outside of Ann’s Bible study, was Betsy. Betsy recognized the blurred image of Ann, moving through the crowd, and desperately tried to make eye contact. This was the second time today that she had seen her speed away. She wanted to tell her how thankful she was for her kindness. Earlier that day, Betsy was standing in front of the pregnancy tests at the drug store. She was there all alone. It was this realization that made her cry. She had no one. Her family didn’t want to be a part of the scandal of an unwed mother. This was, in fact, the third pregnancy test of which Betsy had made a tearful acquisition. She was a sinner, and there was no way to hide it. Come to think of it, Betsy’s day started with a hot shower and tears, and it never seemed to change that much. She answered the last phone call from Philip, in which she promised him that he would have no responsibilities toward this child. She did not want to live her life trying to persuade an unwilling partner to like her.
42 magazine may 2010
They barely knew each other and, unfortunately, what attracted her to Philip was also what made his absence the only option. After their conversation, Betsy looked at her face in the mirror. A once happy girl was a long way from home. The sadness in her eyes confirmed to her that she was a sinner, and there was no hope of hiding it. Betsy knew that, although she could never hide her shame as the months passed, she wanted to go home. That was no longer with her embarrassed parents, but she remembered a family, of sorts, a long time ago. Her last shred of hope was spent entering the doors of a church last Sunday. From this, she fuzzily remembered the story of a man who could not even raise his head. He cried out for mercy. Betsy specifically remembered that he said the word “sinner”, and Jesus really liked what he said. Betsy knew that she was a sinner like this man, and there was no reason to hide it.