2013-06-30 – I’m on day 7 of a long juice fast and am reading a book entitled The 60 Day Juice Fast by Steve Fuentes. He, like myself, was powerfully motivated by Joe Cross’ documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. In talking about the mindset of the type of person Steve refers to as a Juice Head (someone willing to commit to a fast that many would call crazy) he talks about educating yourself and being prepared for a juice fast. I like this that he said, “There’s a reason boot camp comes before combat, it’s called preparation. A soldier who can’t clear a jammed machine gun in battle isn’t much use in a war zone. Be prepared for what lies ahead. Don’t be afraid, but be prepared.”
That right there’ll preach! I can see so many life applications for that advice. The are many times in life that we experience major difficulties, trials and setbacks. They may come in the form of illness, job loss, sexual abuse, divorce or even the far-reaching effects of a loved going to prison. It is how we choose to view and learn from those experiences that will better prepare us for our future. To quote from Steve’s book again, “When you get knocked down, grab something while you’re down there, so you don’t come up empty handed.”
There are many life events that are thrown at us that we would rather not face. My challenge to you is: Next time the going gets hard, stop and evaluate the situation. Though it may be hard, look for the positive. Ask what you can gain from the situation and choose to use your experience as an opportunity to build character. The trials you are experiencing now may very well be the means of preparing you for something greater you’ll experience in the future. I can say that from the vantage point of someone who has been there and done that.
When my oldest child was arrested and incarcerated it devastated our family. The two years immediately following his arrest were a time of incredible emotional pain, testing and trials that I had never experienced before. I would not wish the pain and suffering we’ve experienced on anyone. However, I have always lived by the rule that I would not live my life as a victim. So through that time I made a decision that I would not allow myself to focus only on the negative circumstances, but prayed that God would use the situation to change Me. In the process I came to a place of understanding God’s love for people in a way that I’d never known before; understanding how He separates the sin from the sinner. I broke through a critical and judgmental attitude (that I hadn’t even realized was there) to a place of being able to differentiate between the acts that one commits and the person committing them. It’s easy to judge when I haven’t walked in that person’s shoes; and placed under the right amount of pressure or influence, we are all capable of committing acts that we swear we’d never do.
I have been exposed to other inmates and their families due to my own son’s incarceration. Because of my decision to turn a test into a testimony I have had opportunity to minister help and encouragement to families left picking up the pieces in the shock-filled aftermath of a loved one’s poor choices. I’ve taken the opportunity to do personal prison ministry through befriending, writing to and encouraging prisoners to make positive changes in their lives. Inmate advocacy has also become heavy on my heart, and I’ve recently become an advocate for a few inmates who’ve suffered injustice at the hands of a correctional system that needs some serious reform. Additionally, our family’s small publication company is developing a program we’re hoping to use that will encourage talented inmates to focus on activities that will promote rehabilitation as well as potentially helping their struggling families financially.
All of that came out of tragedy. What if we all made the decision to look for the silver lining in the dark clouds that so often threaten our peace and contentment? I’m no one special. No different than anyone else. Anything that I’ve done can be done by others who make the same choice to do so. We are each faced with choices on a daily basis. We often have have no control over the circumstances in which we find ourselves…however, we are in control of how we react while we’re there. May you choose your reactions wisely…
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