Patrick Day

AARON WENT HIS WAY


Tuesday, March 20th, 2018

I’ve talked about Tyler any number of times in this blog. He’s the young man who changed his life around after he met the Real Jesus and decided to go His way instead of his own way. He’s a Christian success story. But all stories of the men I mentor are not so positive.

Take Aaron, for example. In his own nature, he has two major problems. He’s addicted to alcohol and when drunk can be violent. I met him in the Wright County Jail before he transferred to Stillwater to finish out his time for stabbing someone when very drunk. When I met with him in the jail, he was reading the Bible daily and in Bible studies and otherwise trying his hardest to follow Jesus. But there seemed to be something missing. Wherever our conversations led us, they always seemed to go back to his girlfriend (who was married to someone else), his troubled life, and how he saw the world. He talked a good game, but I think it was all more in his head than in his heart. I see that in retrospect now, but I kept hoping he would truly stay with Jesus when he was released from jail.

That release happened six weeks ago, He had called me once or twice a week when he was in Stillwater and immediately called me when he got out. Because of the nature of his crime, he was placed on Intensive Supervised Release, sort of like being on house arrest. He chafed at the restrictions placed on him, and kept telling me how miserable he was and would be better off back in Stillwater, even though he was on 23-hour lock down there.  He had one foot in God’s world and one foot in his own world, which does not work very well for someone with his problems. After a number of phone calls back and forth, I caught him at a bus station going somewhere or another. He didn’t have time to talk then, but said he’d call back when he could. That’s the last time I heard from him. I have tried calling him several times, but he doesn’t answer his phone and has not set up a mail box so I can leave a message for him.

I can only assume that in the end, he decided to go his way instead of His way. Only God knows where Aaron is right now. If I found out he had died violently, it would not surprise me. Please pray for Aaron that he is still alive and will eventually get back to me. God hasn’t given up on him and neither have I.

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