The Jonah years

I spent the first 36 years of my life without the Lord. I spent them, in fact, worshipping myself. I was a drug addict, a drunk, and a sinner who was thought by most -- including myself -- to be long past the point of redemption.

Thankfully, we were all wrong. 

In 2001, I was saved, and am humbled daily by the very thought that God allowed me to live long enough to find Him. When I think of the very real fact that I could have died without ever giving my life and trust to Him, it makes my knees weak.

A few years ago, I became convinced that God wanted me to testify to women in jail.

That was most certainly not something that I wanted to do! The very thought of hearing that clanging behind me was scarier than I can relate. I really, really, really did not want to go into a jail.

So I kind of pretended to myself that I did not understand that God wanted me to do that, and I found other things to do for Him. I became the church secretary. I helped with a teenage ministry. I told various strangers about the love of Christ. 

All the while, I would figuratively look up to God and say, "Isn't this good enough?"

For more than 2 years I pretended not to understand what I was to be doing, and for those 2 years, life got harder and harder in every way possible.

Though I did not put the two things together, I have since done so, and that time is what I call my "Jonah time," which was the time I spent in the belly of the fish.

Things got worse and worse, and finally, for reasons unrelated to jails and ministries, my husband and I packed up and moved 1,000 miles away from our home to a North Carolina, where we knew only my daughter and our grandchildren.

Well, naturally, we needed jobs, and I had sent my resume out to a few places. Shortly before we actually left our home, I was contacted by a woman who was the "middle man" for a company to whom I had sent my resume. This woman wanted to speak to me about helping her with her website.

She was the first person I spoke to about a job when I reached North Carolina. When I left for her office that morning, I expected that I might find work. But after about 10 minutes of speaking to her, it was obvious that there was nothing for me there. 

We began talking about other things, and the woman told me about the jail ministry she was part of.

Well, if THAT isn't God, I don't know what is!

So it was that I found a ministry before I found a job here.

The ministry required a 6-week course, which I signed up for, and when I went to the first class, I felt that warmth inside me -- that thing that feels like a hug inside -- that tells me that I am pleasing God.