The holidays can be a difficult time for many people; I know they were for me until something changed all that. It happened before Christmas several years ago when a friend, Candy, invited me to go to a Bible study. I told her that I didnât have time but she was persistent and I finally gave in. The night of the meeting Candy introduced me to a sweet couple who were the hosts. When the man heard my last name he looked surprised and asked, âDo you have a father named George?â Now I was shocked, and although my first instinct was to say no, I nodded my head yes.
The manâs name was Tom and he explained he was the chaplain of the prison where my dad was serving time. My mind flashed back to the day when I received a telephone call while working as a lieutenant on the police department. I recognized the voice on the other end of the line. It was Wayne, a friend of mine who worked as the homicide commander. He said, âDeb, we have your father in custody for murder and he is asking for you.â I was in shock as I felt the surge of anger rising. âWayne,â I replied, âmy father abandoned our family when I was ten years old. I donât know that man.â Wayne told me he understood and went the extra mile by protecting me from the press.
My father was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend, and unbeknownst to me, Tom had led my dad to the Lord. Since that time my dad and a group of inmates had been praying for me and my family. They had no idea that God had answered their prayers as I, too, had given my life to Jesus and was now reborn in the spirit. Wouldnât it be just like God to use a tragic situation to save a soul?
So there I was standing in front of the chaplain who had led my dad to the Lord. What are the odds of that? You see, the devil had in mind death and destruction but Godâs plan was redemption and restoration. There may be someone reading this post that has also experienced a traumatic loss and still be wondering where God was in all of it. All I can tell you is that He has a way of turning tragedies in our lives for good. Had my dad not gone to prison there is a good chance he would still be in the darkness and certainly would not have been praying for me. He later told me that he had to go to prison to get out of his own prison and become a free man.
That night at the Bible study Tom asked me if I would mind if my dad wrote me. I reluctantly gave him my address, and a few weeks before Christmas I received a card in the mail. It had an inmate number from the prison where he was serving time so I knew who it was from. I slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the card, which had a picture of the Lion and Lamb lying together. There were no wordsâthe picture spoke a thousandâand inside, my dad neatly printed the following message:
Dear Debra,
Iâve asked God a thousand times for a chance to see you before I die. Now I have the chance, I donât know what to say or even begin to say, except that I do want to see you. I thank God for people like Brother Tom. Itâs strange how the Lord works. God bless you and I always have loved you.
Love,
Your Father
The tears began to flow as my heart was healed from a deep wound of abandonment. I later visited my dad in prison, and God, who is a Father, completed that work of healing and reconciled our relationship. My dad has since gone on to Heaven and I now realize how personal this God is whom I serve. Had He not made a supernatural arrangement for me to reconnect with my dad I would probably still be carrying around the baggage of that unresolved hurt. As we gather together for the holidays, remember that Jesus is the reason we celebrate and His gift of salvation, freedom and healing is absolutely free.
Merry Christmas!
(To read the rest of the story, pick up a copy of âBright Lights, Dark Placesâ)