Almost every day I receive gifts in the mail, often from people I’ve never met or hardly know. Yesterday I received a bookmark from a lady who is incarcerated in Florida. She’s never met me or heard me speak, but she did read my book, Miracle on Luckie Street, which I donated to the correctional unit in which she is housed.
She made an exquisite bookmark for me that has my life’s verse, Phil. 4:13 beautifully embroidered on it. As I was looking at it this morning I was amazed at the intricate design and the complementary colors. It is soothing to view in its cool crimson pink and bluish gray design with tassels on each end, and has perfectly symmetrical and multi-colored embroidered lettering adorning it. I studied color for many years as an artist and manufacturer of paint, and her knowledge of color and her ability to put this little bookmark together in a tasteful manner was astounding.
I say that because the austere work environment in which she manufactures her art is beyond primitive. She told me her creations are made from “nothing”; they begin as white thread from socks that are dismantled and meticulously spooled. She then dyes the threads various colors. She obtains her dye from boiling black beans, Kool aide, (anything that will bleed when hot water is added), and then she dyes the thread and cloth with it and embroiders, sews, and glues it to scraps of cardboard with homemade glue concoctions and after some concentrated effort a masterpiece is born.
She sells them for $2 each or 3 for $5 bucks and makes a little money now and then. Not once has she ever received money from family or friends during her incarceration and many times the correctional officers have taken her supplies from her only to have inmates find them in the garbage and secretly return them to her.
She attributes this to nothing being able to stop her from doing God’s work – Phil. 4:13. She states this in part, because as a result of her “crafts” and entrepreneurial skills she continually is able to manufacture desperately needed items such as bars of soap and hygiene objects in order to give them to indigent inmates.
She told me she relates to so many aspects of my story, the feelings, the experiences, the highs, the lows, the losses, the disappointments and most importantly the spiritual awareness. She went on to tell me that her “gutter life” inevitably produced numerous crimes and a 30 plus year criminal history in which she served over 19 years, which included two escapes, (not surprising she could figure out how to escape with her intellect and ingenuity).
She came to know the Lord in prison, but would not ever fully submit. Invariably her stubborn refusal got her right back into the frying pan where she remains. She told me that knowledge of the Lord without submission was meaningless.
She has 33 months left on her sentence and when she gets out this time she wants to become an entrepreneur. She wrote: “I too know that God spared me for something so much better than what I’ve allowed”.
Hmmm . . . Interesting way of summing up her life – eh?
She is keenly aware that God desires to help her to do ALL things through Christ, but so far she’s been obstinately refusing his help, and instead preferring to wallow in sin and pay the price of its consequence.
I’m reminded of a stained glass window in our beautiful Honey Lake Church which depicts Jesus standing at a door knocking. He wants to help but only if we will open the door to our hearts and allow Him to do so. Like a true gentleman He will not enter our hearts unless invited in, and this lady (like me and so many others), simply squandered precious time by not answering the door and sometimes even slamming it shut right in His face.
I prayed for her this morning, (her name is Karen) and I ask you to do likewise. God spared this brilliant woman for greater things, not the least of which is her compassion to help those who are not as fortunate (or as strong), even while still trying to survive in her own harsh living conditions. (As smart as she is she could be making and selling homemade beer or weapons inside that prison and making a heck of a lot more money than Bible bookmarks.)
I pray that by enduring this latest prison sentence and reading my book by happenstance, that Jesus has finally got her full attention and that He will keep her strong when satan comes calling to try and win her back.
Jesus is patient with people like Karen and me (and yes – even you). He continues to await us even when we are too busy for Him. Rev. 3:20 – Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
The Lord doesn’t look at us as we are but what we can be when He is inside that door. Allow Him all of the way inside your heart this morning won’t you; not half way, or a third of the way, but all of the way. In fact offer Him the most comfortable chair and give Him all that you own, which in reality already belongs to him anyway whether you admit or acknowledge it or not . . . Selah . . .
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
February 26, 2014 – Click here to listen