Debbie’s Story

My daddy always told me, “The squeaky wheel get the oil.”  Little did I know how powerful that saying is with the Lord.

            I grew up a Catholic.  I really loved the God, but I didn’t really know Him; I just knew things about Him.  Looking back, I guess I would say I really knew the Almighty Farther, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit about as well as I really knew the priest at my church or my fellow Catholics…not at all!  Oh, I was a “good Catholic.” I went to church every Sunday, was friendly to everyone there, listened to the “gospel,” did all the proper ”church things” I believed a person needed to do to go to heaven.  Too bad I missed the His power, too bad I missed complete fulfillment in God…and too bad I didn’t realize that eternal life was granted on the basis of knowing God personally, not knowing things about God, nor doing things, no matter how good the things might seem.

            At the ripe old age of 18, I fell in love I mean adoration.  I went to Western Illinois University to become a teacher and to be near the focus of my love and adoration.  By the way, don’t ever marry a person you put on a pedestal – a person that has taken the place of God in your life.  That was my big mistake.  Well, I was divorced, and the marriage was annulled after 5 years because my “god”, my husband told me he didn’t ever really love me.  He had an affair.  He decided he never wanted to have children and make life so nerve wrangling I ended up leaving him.  I ended up in 2 years of counseling trying to overcome my Cinderella Syndrome.   

            Throughout all of this, I was still going to the Catholic Church but I had never asked God to take my life and do with it what He wanted.  I never knew the “squeaky wheel” principle with God; that He wants us to turn to Him when we are in need, and wants to have a real personal relationship with Him.  I felt that I loved God, but I didn’t know His Word, the Bible.  I was Catholic, and even head attended Catholic school for 8 years, but I wasn’t grounded in His Word!  This ignorance of the Bible was to come back to haunt me later…

            Eventually I remarried, had two children and bought a house.  Making and spending money became the focus of my life.  It just seemed like we needed so much!  I was a teacher, and I loved teaching, but I hated what the educational system had become.  I went back to school for a master’s degree in order to make even more money.  To supplement my  income even further, I became a Mary Kay consultant.  But in chasing after the good life, I did not find happiness.  In fact, I was miserable.  I missed my kids, my husband, my life, my peace of mind (sales really involves all of your time).  I had a nervous breakdown in 1992.

            It was then I realized I needed to get on the right path, on the Lord’s path.  Even though I was still going to church, my church experience just was not bringing me the satisfaction of truly knowing God, and I felt a great need for a deeper spiritual experience.  It was then that a wonderful couple, Ed & Sharon, began coming regularly to my door with their Watchtower magazines. They seemed to have a real knowledge of God’s Word that I lacked, and they really seem to care about me, and I cared about them, too.  I was sure they were going to get me on ”the right path.”  I recalled hearing, as a child, in church we were supposed to spread the Good News to others, yet we never did that as Catholics.  I used to think, “How and when will I do that?  Why isn’t my family doing that?”  I put it out of my mind at the time, yet this cam back to me when the Witnesses came into my life, and it impressed me they must be the true Christians, since they were trying their best to spread the Good News.

            So I studied with my Jehovah’s Witnesses “friends” for almost two years.  I believed that God would now be pleased with me and save me since I now had “the truth.”  I went home and talked to my parents about the Witnesses and the Bible and fought with my mother.  I wasn’t even a Witness yet, but we had such a bad argument that my mother ended p slapping me, and I slapped her back!  The fact that she could not “answer” my argument convinced me even more that I was the one who had “the truth,” but we agreed to never speak about religion or the Bible again to have peace in the family.  Even though this incident really hurt me, Ed and Sharon had prepared me for this type of “persecution.”  They pointed out that Jesus had warned, “Indeed, a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household.  He that has greater affection for father or mother that for me, is not worthy of me…”(Matt 10:36-37).  I believed this verse meant that we should be willing to give up our families for “the truth,” which I thought to be my new religion, not realizing that the Bible teaches “the truth” is Jesus Himself, according to John 14:6.

            During this time, things went from bad to worse at school.  This particular class of students really had quite a reputation: no parental cooperation, no parental supervision, no moral, no respect for authority.  Many had police records.  Not only did I not get the office support, but one of the school board member’s wives leaded information to the community that I had previously had a nervous breakdown.  There was also a false rumor circulating that I had been in a mental institution.  A counselor at the school, who was a friend of mine, advised me to call the union and see a lawyer.  In total confidence she told em she knew they wanted me out.  I was under tremendous pressure financially and could not afford to quite my job, but emotionally, I was at the end of my rope!  I did not know how I was going to get out of this dilemma!

            In desperation, I finally “squeaked” and asked the Lord to save me from this desperate situation…and He did!!!  My union arranged for a generous momentary settlement for my resignation, and happily I opted out, rather than pursue a nasty court battle, though I did have a good case.  I felt like I had been the recipient of a great miracle from God, and I truly felt God’s love in a personal way for the first time.  You know, it’s one thing to believe intellectually that God love the world, but it’s another thing entirely to suddenly know Good loves YOU PERSONALLY>  Well, the Witnesses were convinced I was saved by Jehovah, because I was studying with them.  But I knew in my hear that my Jesus had come to my rescue just because I had cried out to Him for help.  My heart felt God’s pure grace, and I started on a new path with God, that I had so often longed for, the path of friendship with God.

            Besides my new understanding of God’s graciousness to me, I also feel I was protected from long tem involvement with the Witnesses through my steadfast belief in the Trinity.  No matter what Ed and Sharon told me about Jesus being Michael the Archangel, I knew in my heart that Jesus was God.  I had many questions and was quite confused doctrinally by this time, and I kept meeting with my JW “friends.”  I liked the Witnesses very much as people (and still do!).  I would have served my Jesus and my God wholeheartedly with them, but I could not accept that Jesus was not God.  As far as my becoming a JW is concerned, God didn’t shut a door and open a window for me.  He shut the door and opened the world to me!!

            Jesus performed another miracle for me.  I knew I needed help, so I went to see one of my neighbors, John Sale, who pastors Keenyville Bible Church.  I had become disillusioned about the Roman Catholic Church, and I badly needed guidance an Biblical answers to the issues the JWs had raised in my mind.  My priest was unwilling to help, and John immediately took me into his home for a 2-3 hour discussion.  I was in awe of his love, his humility, and his dedication.  I came home and told my husband, “This man is truly inspired by God’s Holy Spirit.”  I, could see a difference in John and the Jehovah’s Witness elder, Ed.

            Pastor John recommended I contact Don and Joy at Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. for added encouragement.  They are helping me find the Biblical answers to my questions, and now they are assisting me in reaching out to Ed and Sharon, the Witnesses I have come to love.  I attend the Monday night Apologetics meetings, and find that to be very interesting.  I’m really studying the Bible at my new church, and I’m spending time getting to really KNOW God.  What a difference there is in having a relationship with God, rather than merely going through “religious motions.”  No church can save, nor can any organization claiming to represent God.  Only God saves, and He saves anyone who will call upon Him for salvation Romans 10:13.

            I am in the process of trying to help my Witness and Catholic friend to know the one and only TRUE “truth,” Jesus Christ.  And last but not least, I am determined to find a way to witness to my family in a loving and humble was and show them we CAN discuss religion without fireworks.  I now am reborn in Christ!  The squeaky wheel truly gets the oil! I never have been happier.

Deebie Keefe