Grieving and Giving Thanks from Jail

Here is an excerpt from a man in jail:

I was shocked to hear that my wife of 16 years had passed. It caused me to somewhat shut-down. I had something to deal with each day for a week while grieving. One day was deaing with a judge in the county where she died. Another day was getting the power of attorney paperwork done so my brother in law could claim the remains. Yet another day I had to sign the authorization for creamation. I was denied access to the memorial service by the powers that be.

That day I spent in my bunk, isolated, arguing with God. I only got up for one meal at 5:30 PM. that night, God sent an unusual messenger to me. A man we call "Cuba" come to me and shook me. He asked me if I was going to call our prayer circle together. I was just going to skip it that night. Cuba had just started coming at that point, so for him to come and ask showed me God sent him! I called the circle together and confessed my anger to god for not letting me go to the service. We had a good circle that night and the guys had some kind of comforting words for me. The Lord showed me the error of my ways and I slept well that night aftter a nice, long meditation of thanksgiving and repentance.

The common message through that dark time was being able to be thankful in a time filled with turmoil. I told the Lord I was thankful for the 16 years he gave us and the good memories. I also thanked him for the men I'm housed with. They are Spirit-filled men who truly care. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to be around, for being in prison!

It's truly a blessing. I'm proud to say the Lord leads me to guide them each night. There are two of us who bring a Scripture and small message each night but mainly me. He took over during my grieving time, thankfully.

God is doing some good work in this dorm and I am honored to be used by Him!