I met this young man while attending our juvenile justice ministry. One night our group was having a real conversation about the bible. We talked about how the Bible shows us the right way to live, and how when we actually follow it, our choices start leading to different outcomes. It was not a surface conversation. The guys were honest. You could feel that people were thinking about their lives in a real way. As we wrapped up, this young man spoke up in front of everyone. He looked straight at me and said, “Where were you three months ago?” The room went quiet. Those words stuck with me. Three months earlier he had made some foolish choices that set him on a path he could not undo. Now he was facing prison time, and in that moment the weight of it all had settled in. You could hear the regret in his voice. It was the sound of someone realizing that life did not have to go the way it did. What struck me most was that he was not angry. He was not making excuses. He could see clearly that the direction he had taken led him right where he was sitting.

Even though he could not change his past, something changed in him that night. The gospel gave him clarity and hope at the same time. He began to see that God still had a path forward for him, even if it started behind prison walls.

 

CHRIS WILLIS, 71Five Area Director – Grants Pass

541.941.3488 | chris@71Five.org

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB