When I recently met Sean at the home of one of my TUMI students, I did not recognize him or recall that we had met months before at the Los Angeles County jail. At that time Sean was not fitted with his prosthetic leg and was hopping on his good leg to get around. That probably sounds odd, but it is not unusual to meet men in this condition on the jail’s “ADA” floor, reserved for those who have suffered amputation or similar medical conditions.
Sean was just another inmate asking for a Bible. I had only small-print Gideon Bibles with me, and he was hoping for a larger print, more readable version. Later I returned with a Bible I found in the Chaplains’ office – a large print, New Living Translation Life Recovery Bible. Sean thanked me for it, and I went on my way – an event that has occurred many times in my three and a half years of ministry at the jail.
But how wonderful it is when you are permitted to see that your small act of kindness has made a difference! Sean told his story to gathered TUMI students that evening. As a teen he had followed every rebellious urge, indulging in drugs and alcohol and leading to trouble with the law. When he turned 21, Sean decided he would change his ways and transform himself into a model citizen. On his first honest job, however, Sean suffered an accident and the tragic loss of his leg. How could God allow this to happen? Sean’s faith in his ability to earn God’s favor turned to doubt, then to a return to his rebellious ways and eventually to jail.
Here in California, many jails and prisons now offer introductory Bible studies in addition to our TUMI ministry training classes. In one of these, Sean heard the Good News of God’s grace and mercy in Christ. For the first time in his life, he experienced forgiveness and began his journey toward genuine life recovery!
As he finished his testimony that evening, Sean held up his Life Recovery Bible and reminded me that I was the one who had given it to him at the jail. At that moment I felt as if a window from heaven had opened, showing me how our willingness to serve in small ways is multiplied by our great and awesome God. May this experience remind us all to “not get tired of doing what is good,” because “at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).
