I have been very moved and challenged recently by the story of a young woman who has dominated the popular press in the UK. Her fame even reached the shores of Australia amongst other places.
Many here will not have taken much notice, dismissing the story as one of many. Being British myself and having heard about her on numerous occasions, I was surprised and saddened to hear that she had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 27.
Jade Goody made a name for herself as a loudmouthed, ignorant, bigoted, coarse and promiscuous young woman when she appeared on one of the first Big Brother reality TV shows in UK in 2002.
Although she did not win, she made such an impression that she was rarely out of the public eye with her escapades and ventures including two "reveal all" autobiographies.
In the next few years she became a single mum of two boys, appeared in all sorts of reality shows in UK and abroad and launched two perfumes which rivalled those of much more well known celebrities.
She also had a relationship with a young man who was jailed for 18 months, he was allowed out of prison early because of her condition and their marriage made headlines all over the world. It lasted exactly one month and she, thinking of the future of her boys, made sure that the gossip magazines paid a good price.
Jade faced the last few weeks of her life bravely, in the public gaze. Her last appearance was on March 9th, when she had requested baptism for herself and her 2 boys. Her reason?
She wanted them to know about Jesus and to be able to talk with Him so that one day they would all be together again.
Thank God that someone was led to speak to her about her need to get right with God.
Her local Anglican church and the chaplain of the hospital where she was being treated arranged the baptism service for the family. It was widely reported in the press, along with her reasons.
Two weeks later, Jade died at home where she had been under heavy sedation. Her funeral will be at her local church and she requested that it would be a celebration of her life.
Personally I feel ashamed that I, along with many others, condemned this young woman the first time I heard about her. Now I feel that many who have no contact with Christianity, or those who have no time for what they perceive the church represents will be challenged to think about crucial eternal issues.
Her story, like that of the repentant thief crucified alongside Christ, may speak more clearly of God's desire to save all those who call on His name than perhaps a hundred learned sermons.
I believe that God will use this young woman, her personality, antics and tragic early death to speak to many of today's millions who need to know that there is a God and that he sent Jesus to save us from ourselves.
Photo: Mark Kobayashi-Hillary
