Someone once told me sunshine was good for the mood. This was before science proclaimed the benefits of vitamin D. So whenever I was feeling blah, I went to the local tanning salon. One February word had gotten around there was a new salon in town and I decided to check it out. As I pulled into the parking lot I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely fragrance of the flowers on tables. There was an abundance of giant ferns and foliage in front of the store. Once inside I noticed it much more than a tanning salon. There were hairdressing stations, exercise machines, and a glass display with an array of essential oils, massage stones, and incense. The place was a hippie’s paradise and the atmosphere was incredibly peaceful and serene. Plants were everywhere and it was like stepping into a tropical paradise.

The woman was remarkably pleasant and cheerful. As I paid, I complimented her on the beautiful plants and she mentioned they were for sale. Not being one to be good with plants I decided to give it a go anyway and purchased a couple of fragrant stocks.

Every two to three weeks I returned and had built a rapport, even though I never really knew her personally. Eventually, I would just call upstairs that I was there and she’d call down to let myself into the tanning booth. I never felt so at home. I would call “good-bye! I’m buying a couple plants!” upstairs and left the money on the counter. After a couple of months, I realized I hadn’t invited her to my church and decided to do so at my next visit.

As it turns out, the weather broke and rainy days gave way to warmer weather. I didn’t need to return to the tanning salon and my porch full of plants was blooming beautifully. I had taken to walking the track at the high school with the pastor’s wife. It gave us the opportunity to chat and develop a friendship. Female friends were rare in my life and I welcomed the opportunity to get close to a woman who loved the Lord.

It was during one of our walks she informed me (proudly I might say) that she and a few other women had run a witch out of town. When I asked, she mentioned the woman who ran the new tanning salon. My heart sank. I asked how she knew she was a witch. The pastor’s wife said the woman performed reiki massage and that it’s new ageism and there was no place in the town for witchcraft. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. The pastor’s wife said the woman ended up just packing up and leaving town. She was very proud at this point and added a “good riddance” to her statement with a smug attitude. I told her that wasn’t very Jesus like. Did anyone minister to her? Did anyone invite her to church or lunch? Anything? The pastor’s wife simply stated that it’s her job to protect the flock and not let the devil get a foothold in the town.

My heart broke. Surely she couldn’t mean the beautiful soul I’d encountered. I drove to the salon and saw the empty parking lot. There was a for lease sign on the window. “Oh Lord….forgive them.”

This is not the behavior of the loving God I worship. This is not the compassionate behavior of the Christ I adore. What was it they were so afraid of that they refused to minister to someone they thought was lost? How can any of us refuse to minister at all?

How could the pastor’s wife allow this to happen? She was in a position of power in the church and in the community. How could she do this and be so proud?

This question led me to research the doctrine of various occult religions. My research lasted several months.

“By their fruits you will know them” — Matthew 7:15 NKJV

This verse kept replaying in my head. As I walked the track alone, washed dinner dishes, in bed at night. My heart broke for the shop woman. How she must have felt to be so welcoming and well-meaning only to be run out of town by supposed “Christians”. I prayed for God to lead that woman to Him and that she would find salvation in His arms. My regret is that I didn’t minister to her when I had the opportunity to. I felt I had failed as a follower of Christ and at the same time was ashamed to be called a Christian. But mostly for keeping company with the pastor’s wife.

In the following months, I continued to search for answers. I had to try to understand what the pastor’s wife was so afraid of. Yes, I knew by the Bible’s standards witchcraft was wrong. Yes, I read all the scriptures which talked about how “evil” it was. But there had to be something which instructed us not to minister to witches. I searched in the Bible looking perhaps for at least one scripture telling us those in the occult were lost causes and were to be sent away. That their souls were automatically condemned to hell or something. Had I missed something? I wanted an explanation which justified rejecting a lost soul. After months of scouring websites, forums, and threads I couldn’t find anything. Not a single one.

This despicable behavior was from her. Nothing more.

It was then I realized I didn’t want to be a part of Christianity at all. That if being a Christian meant being cruel to people, pre-judging them, and running them out of town, that it was not a religion I wanted anything to do with.

Somewhere along the way, her walk with God had morphed into a self-imposed authority which allowed her to pick and choose who gets ministered to and who gets into heaven.

She had become a Pharisee.

I wanted nothing……absolutely nothing to do with these kinds of people.

I never renounced my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I only knew that I didn’t want to be a part of any organized religion which preached hatred. I embraced witchcraft. It was there I remained for nearly 15 years. I never joined any coven nor did I pray to gods or goddesses. I never participated in blood sacrifices or devil worship (which aren’t really part of most occult religions anyway). I only sought peace with nature and strived to be a more loving person.

Since then, I’ve returned to following Christ and have renounced witchcraft altogether. Not because anyone told me to, but because it was the best decision for me. Because Jesus died for everyone, including witches. And now this includes me. I was NOT a lost cause. I was NOT unworthy or somehow undeserving of God’s love. I was just in the wrong church.

So be careful all of you who call yourself Christians. Your pompous and self-righteousness attitude (if you have one) might be all the enemy needs to recruit people right from your pews and you just might be the perfect instrument to do it with. Love everyone.

Credit link:  https://medium.com/@madamebleu99/how-a-pastors-wife-got-me-into-witchcraft-843115d25140