Today’s scripture: Romans 12:9-21 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Kristen Herrmann):
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Romans 12:12, NRSV
I work at a women’s prison. There are times when an offender serving a sentence on one case is transported out to court in another case for a crime committed prior to her incarceration. Recently I informed a pregnant offender in such a situation that the court had issued its sentence, the result being that she would be incarcerated for an additional two years. After allowing her time to digest the news, we met again to revisit whether the person she’d chosen to be the caregiver of her unborn baby would be able to support the baby for an additional year or two.
The mother sat across from me and explained that she’d been living in another state where she probably wouldn’t have been arrested on her warrant, but she didn’t want to be looking over her shoulder wondering if she’d be plucked from her life. So she turned herself in to the authorities in Indiana. She said she had wanted to do the right thing but now wondered if doing the right thing had been the correct choice.
She explained that she’d lived on her own since she was 13, raising her brothers and sisters. For a brief moment, the collected mask over her face dropped and I could see her as a child trying to manage a family. I could see the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear she had felt but stuffed down deep inside so she could survive. She wondered why, after giving up her own days of carefree youth to parent others, she couldn’t have the privilege of raising her own child. (Her charges are for check fraud; a child raising her siblings needed money to make ends meet.)
She didn’t whine or complain. I could see her sincerity in wondering what she was supposed to learn from God and this experience of not being able to parent her own blood as she desired. After listening to her, I realized that she had all that she needed to get through her trials. She already had more than any words I could have given her. Even in this troubling time, she maintained a relationship with God. She was questioning, trying to understand, but she hadn’t abandoned her faith.
The times we spent together were brief, but I will never forget her. And when my faith starts to shake, I hope to do the right thing, to make the correct choice, and keep God by my side as I struggle to make amends for my wrongs.
Thought for the day: What area of my life do I need to be intentional in bringing God with me as I rejoice, endure, or persevere?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.