Lisa Barry: Some time ago on Gateway To Joy, we shared a powerful story about a woman's struggle against abuse, neglect and loneliness. Her name is Glenda and the book is entitled Glenda's Story. It's a riveting, heartbreaking account of a little girl who was starved for love and security, and who found it in Jesus Christ. It's our pleasure to have this courageous woman with us today, here to tell her story in a way you'll never forget. Let's go back to Houston, Texas, now where Elisabeth Elliot has just introduced Glenda Revell. Here she is.

Glenda Revell: You have no idea what an honor, and a terror, it is to be with you today. I thank you for having me. A very sweet lady came to me outside when we were signing books a few minutes ago and said, "Glenda, I read your book and I just want you to know that you are a trophy of God's grace." I thought, I wouldn't want to meet the booby prize. But God does choose the weak and the foolish things of this world. If I'm a trophy of anything, it's of that. God has been merciful and gracious to me all of my life. He has led me by His grace to this place today.

Someone else came up to me and said, "Glenda, tell us what it is like to have Elisabeth Elliot as a spiritual mother." Well, she's very strict! She didn't even hear me! She has been the mercy and grace of God poured out into my life. She is the incarnation of God to me, and I thank God for her.

Someone else has asked me, "Glenda, do you think that you were damaged by all the things that happened to you when you were growing up?" I think we're all damaged, because we live in a fallen world. Just recently I was asked to speak at a lady's retreat. Those who were planning the retreat, came a few months ahead of time and took me out to lunch--drove 200 miles to my home to take me out to lunch. That evening, I was telling my husband about it and I said, "It was just great." I don't get out very much. I have four children. It was a lovely afternoon. I said, "Why do you think they did that?" He said, "Well, they probably read your book and wanted to make sure you don't drool or anything."

I would have to say, if I'm damaged because of my background, I'm much more damaged by the fact that I was never disciplined, than I was by the abuse or the sexual molestation that I endured--because I had no security. But when I came to Christ, I was born into a new family and I was given a Father who loves me enough to chasten and discipline me. I do thank Him, because I'm not illegitimate anymore. I have a Heavenly Father.

I believe that God used the fact of my illegitimacy, the fact that my mother was an alcoholic and abusive, the fact that I was forced to sleep with my stepfather. He drew all of those things together into the cord with which He drew me to Himself. I do not believe that I would have ever come to Him apart from those mercies, those severe mercies, of His love. In the song that we sang earlier this morning, "Day by Day," we mentioned our Father's wise bestowment. All of those things were just part of His wise bestowment to me that drew me into His loving arms.

All of those things that I endured were dealt with at Calvary, and I don't bear that anymore. I came to a place in my Christian life where I recognized that if I continued carrying the grief and the sorrow that Christ had already borne for me, then I was saying to God, "Calvary wasn't enough." I'm here today to tell you that Calvary covers it all.

A number of people asked me, as I was signing books, if I have children. So I'm very happy to tell you about my family. I do have a very dear husband that God has given to me, and four lovely, obedient (most of the time) children. Charlotte is 17, Sarah is 16, Jason is 13, Daniel is 10. They truly are my joy.

I'd like to answer two questions right now. Both of them are from children. The first one is, "When did you accept Christ?"

That's my favorite story. I was in nursing school. I had been through years of emotional problems where I had self-mutilated and cut myself with razor blades, and I went through a period during my high school years when I had anorexia nervosa (which was in the 1960s before anyone in Virginia ever heard of anorexia, so they really didn't know what they were dealing with). God intervened and saved my life, because He had a plan for me.

I went on to nursing school and became very depressed during those years. I had gone to church most of my growing-up years on my own, because I thought that if I went to church I could find God there. I had tried to be good, and I couldn't be. I was at a loss for what purpose there could possibly be to go on. I was sure that no one would ever want me or love me. I had planned to commit suicide.

As I was walking out of the hospital lobby--the very Friday evening before I had planned to do this (I had saved pills to take)--I saw on a coffee table in the lobby a brochure. I had seen a number of these in the hospital in my three years there, and I had always thought, "That's religious propaganda." But one does want to read something religious right before she dies, and so I felt compelled to go over and pick it up. And, of course, it was a Gospel tract that God had placed there for me. I slid it into my books, not wanting anyone to see me with it, and took it back to my room.

When all the girls had gone home for the weekend, I pulled that Gospel tract out of my books and I began to read God's wonderful plan of salvation. For the first time, I saw the truth--that Jesus Christ, God's Son, had become sin for me and that He had died in my place. I had sung songs about Jesus and I had heard about Jesus, but I never understood. I saw in that Gospel tract that if I could believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I would be saved.

I fell down on my knees by that bed and--I had prayed a lot while I was growing up, but I didn't want to mess this one up--so I prayed the prayer that was on the back of that tract. I told God, "I know I'm a sinner and I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, was given as a sacrifice for my sin. If You'll have me, I want to receive You into my heart as my Savior and my Lord." I want you to know that He came in and He made me a new person. Old things were passed away, all things were made new. He began that wonderful work of grace in my life in transforming my mind and teaching me His perspective. Praise God!

This question comes from a ten-year-old. If you haven't read my book, it won't make any sense to you. "Dear Glenda, why did you think doing a surprise birthday party for your mother would make her love you?"

Kaylee, I don't know what ever gave me a crazy idea like that. I think sometimes we have the mistaken idea that if people don't love us for who we are, we can make them love us by what we do. But it really doesn't matter, because the Bible tells us that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God loves us where we are and receives us into His family through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I don't have to worry about being acceptable anymore, because I am accepted in the Beloved.

"How do you suggest that we handle the pressures that our society places on us, as far as how we are supposed to look, our weight, our fashion? I struggle with anorexia and bulimia and I do not know how to see it in God's eyes."

First of all, I would say that as Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ in this world and we should try to look the best that we can--and I think that's about where it ends. Any time we're focused on ourselves, it's going to lead to trouble.

I can address the subject of anorexia only as it affected me personally. I was not yet a Christian when I suffered through anorexia. I just have to tell you that how I think God saw it, was sin. It was sin. Anorexia is a very self-centered, self-focused illness. I hope that whoever wrote this will understand that I'm saying this with absolute compassion. I thank God that He spared my life, because I easily could have died then and I would have been lost forever.

Any time we take our eyes off of Calvary and keep them focused on ourselves, we're going to get into trouble. The more that intensifies, the deeper the trouble we're in. I can tell you when I had anorexia I was in very deep trouble. It was out of my control at that point, and I really do believe that it is an illness straight from the pit. I would urge you not to be looking at yourselves, but to look to Christ.

As far as fashion goes, I am certainly not one to speak about that. The other day my older daughter, Charlotte, said, "Mama, why do you always wear clothes with no shape to them?" I said, "Pray, Charlotte, what kind of clothes would you wear on this body?" Just try to look your best for Christ, remembering that you're representing Him to a lost world, and then think about other things.

Lisa Barry: Well, it's an awkward place to jump in right now, but our time is running short and I want to pass along some important information. Glenda talked a little bit about her background, and many of you are going to want to get a copy of Glenda's Story. We'd be happy to send that out to you and if we could ask for a suggested donation of $8.00, that would be greatly appreciated. Our address is:

Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. That's Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. Or, call toll free 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Our Internet address is gatewaytojoy.org. And please remember to include the call letters of the station you're listening to when you write. Gateway To Joy has been a listener-supported production of Back to the Bible.

Be sure and join us again on Monday, when Elisabeth begins a brand new series on "Restlessness." That's next time on Gateway To Joy.