I’ll admit that when I tell the stories of the men and women who have come to our shelters, they are mostly the ones of victory. Stories that honor God for the way He changes and transforms lives. Stories of restoration to family. Stories of victory over addiction and newly made commitments for their future.
But, as most of you might have guessed, not every story ends happy. As hard as we might try, we can’t force someone to change. Even if we could, it probably wouldn’t be real. We simply can’t want it more than they do. There is no question that every able minded and able-bodied individual must take personal responsibility for their lives.
Take Jimmy. He came into the program scared and defeated. He didn’t expect much. But he soon became a part of the brotherhood that exists between the men and found his place. He was a leader and those skills served him well.
He was promoted to the lead position amongst his peers. He started answering the phone at the front desk and doing clerical work. The staff leaned on him to make out schedules, call roll in the meetings and even drive the shelter vehicles. He came to Bible studies with his bible and supplies neatly stowed in his briefcase. In every sense of the word and in everyone’s mind, Jimmy was on his way.
Then one Monday, I arrived at work to the news. Jimmy had left. No warning, no one knew when or where. He just walked out. We haven’t heard from Jimmy since. Did we fail? Maybe. Did we give him too much responsibility. Again, maybe. But ultimately, we had to come to grips with the fact that Jimmy chose.
Two Biblical principles come to mind when I think about Jimmy:
- We all are responsible for our choices, especially when it comes to eternal life. Romans 14:12 says, “So then each one will give an account of himself to God.”
- We don’t know the end of the story. The apostle Paul reminded his hearers, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving the increase.”
I pray for Jimmy 10 years later, that someone, somewhere is watering and that God has truly transformed his life.
