On my ten o’clock check I was not greeted by verbiage that turned the air blue which was a first. I must admit I approached the door with a wee bit of fear and trepidation. True, he was locked inside a metal cage inside a cement room, but just being near a person with Ted’s loving ways was enough to send chills down my spine.
But when I looked through the slot I was amazed to see Ted sitting in the corner with a piece of Gideon Bible paper in his hands. But the truly amazing thing was the hardness of his face was gone. He ask , “Mr. H. would you give me another Gideon Bible if I promised not to tear it up?” I am not sure Ted ever made a promise not to do something before in his life.
I gave him another Bible. And then I watched one of the greatest miracles I have been blessed to see in my life time, the transformation of a violent, hate filled young man whose life had been one of failure, loneliness and total frustration, change into a born-again child of God. That night, in the midst of a driving rain storm, God looked down from the heavenlies and said, ’I’ll take that one!’
It was my great privilege to hear Ted ask Father God to forgive him for the mess he had made out of his life. I heard him pray for forgiveness for all of the people he had hurt and all of the pain and agony he had caused in the lives of so many. And I heard Ted surrender his life to God to be used as He desired.
Three days later, Ted was placed in a bus in hand cuffs and leg chains to be delivered to Tracy Industrial School, a maximum security prison for juveniles, to begin serving his sentence. But, as the guards readily admitted, the Ted they receive was not the Ted they expected.
Soooo, Lads and Lassies, keep in mind, changing folks whose lives are a mess is a piece of cake for God. All He needs is someone who is willing to be eaten alive and still reach out to that person with love and compassion to be an intercessor. Are you willing?
Blessing
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