Diana was only nineteen when her father was sent to prison for his faith. She and her sister Floarea were left in charge of the family, but soon they lost their factory jobs because of their father’s imprisonment.
With a sick mother and four younger siblings at home, Diana and Floarea were desperate. So when a young man called them and said he could get Diana a work permit, they were ecstatic. She met him for dinner, where he gave her plenty of wine and then seduced her. Afterward, he gave her some money, and this became a pattern. Nothing more was said about a work permit, and Diana accepted the money because she was so desperate.
Diana continued to prostitute herself in order to support the family, although she was filled with guilt. Soon her sister became involved, and together they hid their shame.
Now, as they looked into the face of their mother, they said, “How can you forgive us? We thought you would be disgusted.”
She offered them words of love and comfort, “You feel shame over what you have done, and so you should. But this sense of shame and guilt will lead you to a shining righteousness. Remember, the soldiers not so much pierced Christ’s side as ‘opened’ it, that sinners might easily enter his heart and find forgiveness.”
Being sorry for our sin and feeling sorry for ourselves are two different things. Many people who go through suffering feel sorry for themselves. They are all too eager to blame others for their misfortune. How tempting it would have been for the girls in this story to blame their mistakes on their father. “If he was not a Christian, then he would not have been arrested, and we would not be in this mess.” Yet they came to their mother with true shame and repentance for their willful disobedience. And they found forgiveness. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, which leads to forgiveness. Are you feeling sorry for yourself in your sufferings? Watch out! It can quickly lead you to disobedience.
