Tuesday, April 20th, 2021
Danny is a real person I met in the Wright County Jail on two different occasions. The first time around, he was indicted on a bogus charge of rape by his girlfriend who wanted to get even with him for calling the cops after she hit him repeatedly while high and distraught. We prayed and prayed. He admitted he had put himself in that situation and repented of his going-his-own-way behavior that led up to the false accusation. He accepted he might end up in prison and reached some degree of peace about it. Then she recanted and he went free but still on probation for other crimes. One stipulation was that he not drink any alcohol.
He told me he wanted me to chaplain him when he got out and vowed that he was going to live a Christ-centered life from then on. I never heard from him nor saw him until he showed up in jail again for an domestic altercation with his dad’s girlfriend after much alcohol had passed the lips of all three of them. He avoided me at first but then asked to meet with me again. More repentance, more going to follow Jesus every step of the way, a commitment to let Jesus plow up the weed-filled garden of his soul and plant new seeds of life and peace and joy. He cried when he made his promises – not to me but to God. I felt he meant it this time, and I encouraged him to lean on me as a mentor and chaplain to him. I gave him a reading list of books of the Bible to study and make part of his life. This time, I felt he was going to change his life around.
But he didn’t. When he got out of jail, I never heard from him again. You see, life got in his way, and his own way got in God’s way. That’s the way it is with many of the men I work with in the jail. Not ever person I work with is a success story. But lest you wonder why I keep dealing with spiritual failures, there ARE success stories that encourage me and keep me in the hunt. Brian, for example is a wonderful success story, a man of 51 who became saved in prison (Danny and others were already saved but slid back down into the mud) and became as new as new can be. I’ll tell about this great success story of God’s in my next blog.
Tags: jail ministry, Jesus, Mentoring, Salvation
April 20th, 2021 at 7:43 pm
Pat, he may not be lost, just “delayed”in getting there. People sometimes do become “successes”later in life. Your kindness and counsel and prayers will surely not be forgotten.