Thirty-Seven
____________
A New Day's Dawn
“Hey, wait up,” Jenny heard
Kathy call to her on her way to her first class. Where were you yesterday? Were
you sick or somethin’?”
“Not exactly, but sort of. The
counselors had me stay home to rest most of the day. Did I miss anything?”
Kathy wrinkled up her nose and
answered sharply, “Around here? At school?” Are you kiddin’? The only news we
had was that author Flint Jey Blackfeather is comin’ soon to give us a
talk on writing and stuff.”
“That’s exciting!” exclaimed
Jenny.
Kathy’s only reply was, “I guess
so.”
“The whole school, or
just—"
“Whole school.”
Jenny felt very pleased with
having an author of Mr. Blackfeather’s expertise coming to her school and presenting
some sort of lecture, Maybe I’ll
get some good tips I can use.
Over the next few weeks a lot of
things happened. Kathy moved into the FHG mansion and a new staff member, Henry
James Harrison, was hired to work at the home; Mangas Coloradas decided it
was in the best interest of everyone involved, as well as for the group home,
if he remained living at the residence for the time being; Jenny’s friend,
Millie, joined the school’s cheerleading team; and Counselor Cynthia Lafferty,
to everyone’s joy and surprise, announced that she was engaged to be
married.
One day a card arrived for Jenny
in the postbox from Renwick Stone, followed a few days later by a letter. As
Jenny read Renie’s words she focused on the word ‘free’ for quite a long
time. She knew that freedom was more than just being out of prison. Freedom was
a matter of the heart. She tucked Renie’s notes into her diary, grabbed
her Bible, and went out into the back garden to sit by the statue of Samson.
“God, will I ever be completely
free from my dreams, my past life, from all this baggage that holds me down?”
she prayed softly.
A voice, not an audible voice,
but a gentle speaking in her inner self, words that felt as though they
permeated her entire being, began to overwhelm her like water rushing over
a waterfall, You are Free!
Jenny opened her Bible and read
Galatians 5:1 over and over again, ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty by
which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of
bondage.’
Like the scar a metal spike
makes and leaves in a wooden railroad tie after it is removed, Jenny suddenly realized that she, too, had
scars, scars from the life she had led. She knew she needed to quit
looking at the scars from her life and focus her eyes on the healer of her
wounds instead.
“There are consequences to the
actions and decisions I have made in my life, Lord,” Jenny continued in soft
spoken prayer, “and I know you have forgiven me for everything and that
you are always with me. Help me to experience a freedom of heart and mind. I
want to live the rest of my life in your service, a service helping teens
just like me. Help me to have a strong desire to read and study your Word in
the Bible more so I can prepare myself for helping others, Amen.”
Later that evening after dinner
Jenny sat on her bed with her diary open. She stared down at the page for a
long time before writing, ‘Not everyone gets a break in life, some do and
some don’t’. She stretched before continuing: ‘Proverbs 14:4 - Where no oxen
are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox’.
Jenny thought for a moment,
contemplating, meditating, and analyzing, then wrote, ‘God, I want to take all
the effort necessary to achieve my goal of helping troubled teens. It takes
more work and longer hours to take care of that ox, but the productive
increases because of that ox are great. The more effort I put in to my study of
your Word, my life, education, and everything else, will enable me to
share that with others. That is what I want.’
Jenny laid back on her pillow
staring up at the ceiling before sitting up again to continue with her writing,
‘God… I know my future is in your hands and that you are in total control
of my life. Please give me the strength to live that life. I look forward to
our future together, whatever that may be… Amen!’
Jenny returned her diary to that
special place in her closet, laid down and fell asleep.
As time progressed Jenny grew
more mature in her life and in her Christian faith. Life wasn’t easy, but Jenny
often remarked that, “Life is a bed of roses with all of its thorns.”
When the time came for Jenny to
be released from custody from the For His Glory Youth Home, she stayed on as an
employee. She cleaned, cooked and did gardening in exchange for room and
board. She especially enjoyed any garden work she could do near the statue of
Samson.
Jenny eventually enrolled in
college and studied hard to achieve her goal of obtaining a bachelor's degree
one day. It took a lot of work and a lot of longs hours, but she was used
to that. I’ve wasted years of
my life on the streets, now I will enjoy living the years of my
life instead.
Ups and downs in life are
experienced by everyone and Jenny was no exception. Jenny searched the Bible’s
scriptures for the answers to her questions continually. She found solace
and strength in those words, words that came alive in her heart.
Jenny’s diary contained one
remaining empty page. Once again Jenny sat down in the back garden of FHG and
made one final entry into her treasured diary:
‘Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has
given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to
us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.-2 Peter 1:2-4.’
Well, it looks like it’s time for me to buy a new
diary!
Next Chapter: Eclipsing the Darkness
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