The Day Had Finally Come…

The day had finally come. The one that I had dreaded my whole life. Being born as a slave, I knew that one day I would stand before a world of hateful, angry men and listen as my soul would be auctioned off. I stood with my head bowed, hands and feet bound in chains and waiting for my turn to stand on the auction block. I closed my eyes and prayed with each painful heartbeat that somehow it was just a terrible dream and that I would be back at home working beside my family. As I felt blood drip from my hands where the chains had chafed my skin raw, I knew that the terror had only begun. The slave master gave a quick jerk to the chain that caused all of us slaves bound to it, to stumble. Now it was time to face the auction block.

The auctioneer started with the first slave, asking for a bid from the crowd. On down the line he worked until he came to me.

"What is this slave dressed in rags worth to anyone?" He sneered at the crowd.

"I can buy a dog that would be worth more than her!" one called out.

"I am not going to waste my time or money on her!"

The taunts and jeers kept coming. I closed my eyes and willed myself not to cry. Crying would only intensify the cruel accusations. As I stood there trembling, listening to what the world had to say of me, all of a sudden everything ceased.

I was afraid to lift my head to see why everyone was silent, but curiosity won out. A Man had entered the room and was walking toward the auctioneer. I stopped. This could not be Him. I have heard about Him before and what He did for those who stood in this humiliating and humbling place where I was. Things like this did not happen to me.

As He reached out His nail-scarred hand, I knew that it was Him. The whole crowd watched in silence as He asked for the deed.

"What is this slave worth to You?" the auctioneer snarled.

"She is worth everything to Me. I paid for her with My own blood on that old rugged tree so many years ago. I am just claiming what is rightfully mine." was the simple answer.

The deed was handed over, and I watched Him sign "Jesus" in red, on the bottom. The auctioneer grudgingly gave Him the key to my chains. Jesus took the key and then turned to me. I have never seen such love as I saw in His eyes. No one has ever cared for me like that. What came out of His mouth shocked me even more. "Will you be free?"

Would I be free? What kind of question was that! I had heard how He healed the infirmed, set prisoners free, and bought slaves out of the bondage of sin. How foolish of me to stay in my chains of sin any longer!

"Oh, would You…?" was all I could say. He slipped the key into the chains and set me free.

I will never forget this day. I had lived a life of wickedness and sin, not realizing the bondage that it had put me in. I was going to do what I wanted to do, and no one was going to stop me…until Jesus came!

It all started in January of 2007. For six months, the Holy Spirit had been convicting me of my sin, His righteousness, and the judgment to come. For six long months, I had resisted, thinking that tomorrow would bring another chance. In June, our teens went on a teen trip to the mountains of Colorado. On our way up the mountain pass, I begged God to speak to me while I was away from the world for that week. The whole week of preaching went by and on the last night, the Lord opened my eyes to see where my sin had really led me and what it had done to myself and to others. I saw myself as a desperately wicked sinner who deserved to go to Hell. I deserved to be sold to the world… serving sin and its cruel masters.

But God, in His love and mercy set me free, when I repented of my sin and put my faith in Him. He broke the chains that held me bound, gave me a new purpose for living, and promised to never leave me alone.

Why would a Prince care for a slave? I will never know, but I am so glad that He did!