Today seems like a good day to revisit a story…and more importantly, a man who I’ve had the privilege of watching evolve over the past 3 years. Working as a Probation Officer opened the door to meet a lot of characters that I’d otherwise never met. It’s funny how people tend to point out the impact we can make on our clients…but what blesses me the most is the impact these incredible people have made in my own life. Herein lies an example:
Jim’s is a story of redemption; a story of a hero rising up out of the cesspool of addiction, despair, and loss; a violent breaking of “chains” that had one goal: to kill, steal, and destroy. It is also a very tangible story providing evidence of how God will meet us where we are, and never leave us where He found us…as long as we’re willing to follow Him out. Jim had a choice to play in this story…and he made the correct call.
If you’ve never read my original story of Jim written in January 2015, here is the link to our first encounter: It wasn’t a pretty beginning, but even in the midst of this introduction, I was given an incredible image of “Original Design” that will stick with me.
A Chance Encounter with a Soldier Hiding Inside a Drunk
Original Design Coming Forth
The opportunities to watch God’s hand work in this man to reveal the soldier…and more importantly, a son, has been rewarding and faith-building to me personally. I remember so clearly, the details of walking into that situation in January 2015 and seeing a man devastated by alcohol, and then being challenged by the lone small picture hanging on the otherwise bare walls. The question of this man’s identity was a heavy challenge and an invitation to see beyond what my eyes could reveal. “Well, who is this man? Is he the drunk sitting before you, or is he the soldier in that picture?”
I’ve had the opportunity to cross paths with Jim over the past couple years and the process of redemption has led to my writing a couple updates. They can be found at these links below:
What a beautiful thing to realize that God can look at us in our worst moments, and see who we were created to be all because of the shed blood of Jesus. Jim needed that desperately in those moments…and although even now as I sit here sober, employed, happily married, healthy (well mostly…), I need to hear that God sees me through that same shed blood of Jesus! I need to know that in those moments when I fall short of who I dreamed of becoming, that God hasn’t lost sight of who He created me to be.
Today
Jim is at my house today doing a home inspection. See, Jim got his license and has begun building a business and a career. He’s sober and winning every day. He is having regular contact with his son and reclaiming the lost time. Outside of having a Ford pick-up sitting out in front of my house, I can see no significant flaw in his life.
As Jim and I greeted each other and caught up on the past months, he said with a big grin, “Gordon, had you told me three years ago I would be doing this in my life…” his voice trailed off and I finished his sentence by saying, “you would have taken another swing at me?” We laughed and he got busy doing his inspection.
I got another vision of Jim as I was wrapping this story up. I see him someday driving a Dodge RAM as his business gets stronger…but hey, praise the Lord for the small steps in between…praise the Lord for F-150’s.
In all seriousness here…thank you Lord that you don’t leave us where you found us.
Gordon,
This is truly an inspiring story that you are able to share. What we are all able to do when we overcome our desire to work out of our own power, and we lean on the power of our Savior through the Holy Spirit is literally out of this world.
Thanks for being bold in His name, and for sharing this with all of us!
Love ya.
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A hundred years from now, it will not matter what was in our bank account, the sort of house we lived in or the kind of car we drove…but the future may be different because we were important in the life of a child. “Thanks for sharing this beautiful story”
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