“So you are real?!!” I turned around in the aisle of the Doller Tree to see a little blonde girl, pregnant, and pushing a buggy with a little boy in it. She continued in a hurry as if I might walk away without hearing her out.
“You may not remember me, but I was in a jail a few months ago and as you can see, I’m doing better” she said as she caressed the cheek of her little boy. She was right, I could not place her face. Obviously she would look different than when in jail. She had a cute, short haircut, makeup on and dressed in jeans and tshirt---nothing like she would have been in jail. The women are dressed in grey jumpsuits and often go days without showering and they can look pretty rough. They aren’t worried about anything except when they might get out of jail and go home. I reached out and hugged her and told her how glad I was that she was out and doing good. She said, “You would come in the jail, you and that other lady, and sing to us and we would talk about you and wonder if you were real…..what would you be like on the outside. And here you are!” Paige was with me, so I introduced her to my daughter. Her sweet little boy in the buggy must have needed some attention too, because he started throwing his toy on the floor. Paige stooped to pick it up and he seemed to like that game and kept tossing it out of the buggy. His mom went on to tell me how awful her four months in jail were. She had no idea how miserable the conditions were. “Sundays were the only bearable day”, she said, “because that’s when you guys would come in.” We stood and chatted for a while about her plans and what was next for her. She talked about how she would be moving to Texas and she was looking forward to a new life. But she just wanted to thank me again for coming to the jail. We hugged again and I told her to look me up on facebook and keep in touch. She turned her buggy down the aisle to finish shopping and I did the same, but my mind was in another place. I was following an officer down the large hallway of the jail and waiting to stop at a Cellblock to go in and share the gospel. The gospel is Good News. I learned that when I was a child. But every Sunday we see it, ladies that have never really heard the Good News. That first visit to the jail was Father’s Day 2015. You know, now that I think about it, how cool that it was on Father’s Day. First of all, my earthly Father has devoted his life to sharing the Good News. My dad started pastoring over 50 years ago. He wasn’t raised being taken to church, but a cousin of his invited him to attend VBS with her because she was trying to win a Bible. My dad figured, why not? So he went and that night there was a Magician who shared the gospel as he performed his magic tricks. Dad was hooked. But there was more than magic that was touching my Dad’s heart, it was the Holy Spirit. Pretty soon my dad surrendered his life to Christ and felt the call to be a preacher. He decided there was no time to waste and so he made plans to attend Trevecca Nazarene College. And when I say plans, I mean he set out walking to Nashville with no money and no idea how he was going to pay for college. Back in those days, hitchhiking was still a safe mode of travel, so that’s what my dad did. And guess who picked my dad up? A man who worked in the financial aid office of Trevecca. Magic. Not the kind a magician does, the kind of “magic” God does. I hope that doesn’t offend you. But sometimes I like to refer to the miracles of God as BIG MAGIC. Because when I see or hear of those miracles, my mouth just drops open….just like watching a magic show when the Magician pulls off the BIG trick! My Dad became an ordained Pastor and growing up, these two things stood out to me---my Dad was an anointed preacher and my Dad never showed partiality to anyone. There was no one too rich or too poor to receive Christ. It didn’t matter what kind of house you lived in or what car you drove. Everyone needed Jesus. That’s how he still lives his life today. With a passion to share the Good News. And on Father’s Day at the jail, I was honoring the legacy of my earthly Father and working in the service of my Heavenly Father. I’m nothing special because I go in the jail. I’m only being obedient to what I’ve been called too. Once I heard the call, I had to go. And when you see the “magic” God does, you can’t NOT want to see it every Sunday! My sweet little friend who said “Oh, so you’re real!” blessed me beyond measure this week. She just doesn’t know. Because real to me means I’m not living a lie anymore. I did that for a while. Real means that I’m not following my own aspirations. I did that for a while too. Real means I’m listening to the Maker of my Soul. I’m listening to the higher calling on my life. Real means a song we used to sing a long time ago, “I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord. I’ll do what you want me to do. I’ll say what you want me to say dear Lord. I’ll be what you want me to be.” For me, that’s where the joy is. Funny, the surrendering part seems so hard. I guess it’s the enemy’s plan to make us struggle over letting go. Telling us how much we’ll be missing out on if we let go of our plans. He knows the BIG MAGIC that’s about to happen if we surrender. Why wait? If you’re reading this and God has his hand on your shoulder, whispering “surrender that to me”, then do it! Lay that thing down. Lay that situation down. Lay that “too hard” thing down! PEACE and JOY are waiting to flood your life. For REAL!!!
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AuthorHi! I am Donna and I'm traveling. It's a journey to discover who I am in Christ every day....no looking back, face to the Son! Come join me! Archives
October 2017
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