Journeys take all sorts of paths as we go through life. Sometimes it is the family you grew up in that leads you to your commitment to Christ. We have seen that with two of our teens this spring as they made their commitment to Christ and we got to rejoice with them as they were baptized. Other times, the path to Jesus is through a friend who talks to us and helps us understand God’s love. And sometimes it is through a different path, which was the case with the individual you are reading about in this article.
This individual had been at their job for a number of years when something changed in the workplace. In this case, it was a situation where one group at work became a part of another group. It happens at times, maybe through consolidation or restructuring, maybe through the business world adapting and things just change. But I am sure this person would agree that it wasn’t due to any of those things: but it happened because of the hand of God.
When someone is moved into a new position, it was typical for the boss to go around and introduce everyone to their new co-workers. That is where these two individuals met and began a relationship as co-workers. They would see each other as they would interact at work, but that was pretty much the extent of their interaction. That is, until one day a few years later when he called into work and she answered the phone.
A tragedy had happened in his life. He needed to take a couple of days off and needed to get word to the boss to report he wouldn’t be in for a couple of days. A few months later, he was leaving at the end of the day and she was walking a little behind him. Remembering the phone call, she asked him how he and his family were doing. They talked a bit and then she asked him if he attended church anywhere. This made him stop and think. He had gone to a Catholic church when he was younger and a Luthern church at some point, but somehow life had just gotten in the way. The continued stress and grief he was living under and this simple question Do you go to church anywhere? got him thinking maybe it was time to reconnect with God. He decided to visit a Church of Christ that was nearby where he lived. She warned him that it may be very different from what he had experienced in the past! But he liked the difference right away. One of the first people he met when he first attended the Church of Christ was Loraine Jones who is a member of SL Church of Christ today!
That first visit was in 1989 and the next year he was baptized into Christ. Now we know the rest of the story as he continues to serve the congregation here. But that is not the end of these coworkers’ stories.
They began to talk together when groups from work would go out to lunch. This led to checking in on each other at work, talking about how things were going at their churches, him giving her a ride when her car was broken. . .That led to more discussions and to more time together and eventually to 29 years of marriage until Ruth passed away a year and a half ago. If you hadn’t figured it out by now, you know this man as Leo Casey.
Ruth was a wonderful Christian woman who cared about people. She cared enough to follow up on a phone call where someone had needed time off to deal with a tragedy in his life. She cared enough to ask. And because she did, Leo was doubly blessed--with 29 years of life with her and an eternity with God.
Now, I am not saying you may end up marrying someone from work, but what kind of effect can you have by being there? It could be an eternal one.