A couple of weeks ago I met a new friend, Jolinda Wade, who is not your typical served-time-in-prison former drug addict. She turned her life around and is now co-Pastor of an active church that includes running a community soup kitchen.
In the prison segregation unit, for 18 months she wrote a daily letter of gratitude to God which, she said, kept her sane. Her letters, now published in a book, Divine Grace behind the walls, show her acceptance of His unconditional love, her instant obedience to everything God asked her to share -- with inmates, guards and administration.
One thing that comes across is that life in segregation is free of distractions. You're in one room 23 hours a day. No laundry, no grocery shopping, no TV, no phone calls, no emails. Just, if you so choose, you and God. You pray and you listen and you do. She startled herself by thanking God for segregation where she learned to give Him her every moment.
My goal too is to give my every moment, my every thought, to God to be purified. But I have to ask myself, how well do I deal with distractions? It takes great discipline of thought to say focused in a gratitude-prayer walk, not to become angry, annoyed, or disappointed. Sometimes it's a struggle.
Gratitude isn’t denial of the injustices all around, so much as commitment to recognizing the good, however small it may seem, as evidence of God present and active. I can do better!
Thank you, Jolinda, for setting such a high standard.
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