Thirteen years ago I
went through a discipleship training program offered by a mission, to the
homeless. Actually, there are great resources available to the homeless, if
they would seek them out. It used to be that when folks became homeless, it was
because of sin issues in their lives, which had not been dealt with. In my case
it was alcohol, and drug issues. I tried to cover it up with faking mental
instability, because I would rather be known as a fruit-loop, rather than a
drunk!!
I need to say this to
not offend anybody, because in 2010, the American economy dropped out, and as a
result the face, of the homeless changed. Suddenly, hardworking families were living, on
the streets, and in shelters. With that being said, I need to place the focus
of being homeless back to me.
I know the true state
of my homelessness, and the bottom line wasn’t what I just said that it was.
Those things that I named off were simply symptoms, of the manifestations of my
true problem. I didn’t have but one problem, and that problem is called
rebellion!! Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a
cruel messenger shall be sent against him. Imagine that!! The Lord
called me an evil man!! Do you
know what? He was right, because I was evil in the sight
of my God!! I did reap every reward
that this verse had promised would happen.
When I came to
Florida, I was running from the law in Alabama. I thought that I would move
down here, and start my life over. Hurricane Andrew has decimated southern
Florida, so I was sure to find work. I went as far as Miami, and was starving
to death on the beach. I finally met a contractor, who convinced me that I need
to go into ground zero, and find work.
What I actually found
was a great con man, who took me on as his apprentice. He taught me most of
everything that he knew, and I was a great student. Although, I had learned to
con good folks, out of their hard earned money, it did me no good, and I never
felt right about doing this. I would go out and con a couple of days a week,
and spend every night sleeping in the woods.
How many of you have
camped in Southern Florida, or around any swamp in the world? Let me tell you
there is an over-abundance of ants, fire-ants, mosquitos, sand fleas, and
biting critters in general!! I was shocked at the fact that most things in the
wild, in Southern Florida have a stripe running down their back, and a mouthful
of sharp teeth!! If they don’t bite you, they are sure to leave a deep scratch!!
The truth is that I
spent almost three years living in those woods, and I bore the marks of a man
rebelling against God. I caught some fungus that the medical profession simply
called, Jungle Rot. They honestly didn’t know what it was, but I understood
that it was eating a hole in my chest. I was blessed in the fact that a shot of
antibiotics, followed by a regiment of antibiotics stopped the eating away from
my flesh.
If it had gone far
enough along, I would have been in a different category. It seemed that almost
everybody that was homeless at the time got a case of it. Some wound up in the
hospital with an antibiotic drip, and possible surgery, if the process was not
reversed. Ain’t the mercy of God
good?
I finally got tired of
being bait, for those creepy, crawling critters, so I made my way north. I
received a charge of having an open container of alcohol, in New Smyrna Beach.
They didn’t realize that I was driving that truck from Miami, which had only
been stolen a few hours earlier. I was with my mentor con man, and he wound up
getting the truck back, and traded it to the man that had towed it in. I got out
of that jail the next day, and I never looked back. They were waiting on finger
print proof of who that he was, because he had several different ID’s in his
wallet, along with matching food stamp cards. To this day I don’t really know
who he was!!
I finally made it to
Jacksonville, and ran into him once again. We moved into an old run-down
apartment in the slum part of town. We burnt this city up quickly, and were
heading to the interstate, going to California. I was sick. I was as sick as I
had ever been in my life. I was sick to my soul!! I knew that if I didn’t break
free from this man, and change my life, that I wouldn’t live much longer.
I still remember it
like it was yesterday. We were at Main, and Fourth Street when I told him
goodbye. That was a mile stone in my life. I still think about that sometimes
when I am in that location. That was not
when I stopped rebelling against God. I am not sure why I wrote this, because I
never intended at the beginning.
The truth is that I
know the road, which I have traveled to get me to this point. I am not worried
about making me look better, that I have actually been, or am now. I was the people that my mother warned me to
avoid in my life. It is true, that I have been purely evil, in the sight of my
God!!
Thank you Father for
sending you Son, Jesus Christ to save my Soul!! Jesus has made all the
difference in me, and He will do the same for you. Jesus cleans up all kinds of
people. Those that were as bad as I was, and those that were worse, and those
that are just like you!! He don’t care how bad that you are, or how bad that
you think that you are. Jesus has never faced a person that He could not
forgive, and change. Romans 2:11 For there is no
respect of persons with God.
Do you want some more
truth? John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Maybe I should just
cap this off, and call this post a done deal.
What do you think? Do you think
that it possible, to top that last verse? Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
That is it. Father sent Him, to seek, and save
me!! Thank you Jesus, because I was
seriously lost. Because you saved me, that is why I write his little blog, with
Your help, to tell others about You!!
Ain’t God good?
…..Much Love
No comments:
Post a Comment