Ten Reasons Why You Need God When You Find Yourself in Jail
As I lay on the hard cement bed that contained only a one-inch pad, I wondered how my life could have changed so dramatically in just one year’s time. I just wasn’t the kind of person that would commit a crime that would lead to jail. I was a law abiding citizen, but there I was behind bars for a crime I did commit.
It all began when I fell in love with Tori. Now love is supposed to bring the best out of you and it did, but the problem was that my family, friends and church didn’t think that my relationship was right. I was raised a Southern Baptist and I went to church every Sunday, sang in the choir and led the women’s Bible study class. I was a good wife and mother of three children.
I guess by now you figured out why there was a problem. I fell in love with a woman. This is a terrible sin according to some churches. So in my defense of my relationship, I recently wrote a book, I Want to Know My Future, to explain to Christians everywhere why gay love is not any different than heterosexual love.
It all began when everyone I knew tried to break up my relationship with Tori which is why I kept it on the down low in order to silence the constant gossip that surrounded our controversial love. But it didn’t matter how much I denied the relationship, everyone said I changed and they made it their mission to take away my children. Initially, I went to court and was awarded custody because I was found to be the better parent but the judge then determined that there would be a review of custody in just three months. It was an election year and the Southern Baptist Church was bombarding the court with letters stating that I was gay and they would not vote for the judge in the upcoming election. From that moment on, the judge began to side with them until he finally gave sole custody to my ex-husband.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t just turn my children over to their dad. So I packed up all my things and Tori and I ran with my children. We were jailed in Denver Colorado. I guess now you understand why I am in jail.
Now everyone was telling me that God hated me for loving Tori, but I refused to believe them. I was a Christian and I loved God and no one was going to take my faith away from me. So I read religious books and I determined through years of study that God loved me whether I was gay or not. So I composed a list of ten reasons why you need God when you find yourself in jail. Especially when no person you know will help you get out.
1. You never know when your life is going to take a sudden turn that pits you against everyone you thought was on your side and you are thrown in jail because you are gay. If people are against you, you better have a belief in a supernatural power that’s stronger than people.
2. If you are helpless and alone and in a situation like jail where no one is going to bail you out because you are gay, you better be able to ask for help from a super power that is greater than the people that want to keep you locked up.
3. This is the time you pull out your Bible and you read the story about Peter in jail. How he was locked up with a guard chained to him on his right and another chained to him on his left. God performed a miracle and the chains fell off and he walked out of that jail no worse than when they put him there.
4. It isn’t long before you look at your surroundings and you notice that the people in jail with you are now your friends. They are not like the low life scum that they tell you about on the TV. No, they are looking for help from family who have turned their back on them too. When you are a Christian, you learn things about people when you are in jail.
5. I couldn’t believe my eyes when all my jail mates lined up to be strip searched so they could go to a jail house church meeting on Sunday. Now this is when you really need God. Getting naked in front of others is not for the kind of “Sunday going to meeting” Christian I grew up knowing. It takes a brave sole. A person that believes that God is worth the price!
6. A bondsman is the best friend of the prisoner. But finding one that isn’t just going to take your money and put you back in jail takes a lot of prayer. Once again, I can’t stress it enough that when you are in jail you must have God on your side.
7. You need God when you suddenly are given a crash course on what happens when the legal system gets a hold of you. It’s not like a bad church meeting where you can leave anytime you choose. Jails are made to keep you in whether you want to leave or not.
8. When the clang of the door sounds loudly and you have one minute to wake from a dead sleep and exit your jail cell at 5:00 am in the morning, you better not be a heavy sleeper or you going to miss a meal. This is the time when it’s important to have the Holy Spirit reminding you that you not in a luxury hotel where you can eat anytime you want.
9. Now let me tell you about lawyers. Some are good and some only want your money. You need God on your side to help you choose the right one or you could find yourself in jail for many years to come.
10. The biggest reason you need God on your side is because He never changes His mind about you being His child! He wants the best for your life and he will never desert you like people. God loves you even when you are in jail.
Now this is for all my readers. Sometimes I write very serious articles but this time I poked fun at my true life experience when I was thrown in jail for kidnapping my children. As I wrote, I pictured an old hillbilly man rocking in a chair and dramatically waving his hands back and forth while he emphasized the ten reasons why you need God when you find yourself in jail. In reality, jail is not funny, but when God is on your side you can take any situation in life and turn it around and see the humor.
Isaiah 49:15: “So the Lord answers, ‘Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you.’” (The Good News Study Bible)
God is great and powerful and wonderful. There is nothing in this world that you can go through that He won’t be there beside you holding your hand and helping you to find the right way to fix your problem. He is your refuge. He is your daddy when the world has thrown you away.
God is my refuge, trouble I have seen, true life jailhouse stories, crime, love stories, Southern Baptist Church, I Want to Know My Future, Linda Dipman, The Game of Life It’s Almost Over, women Bible study, persecution of homosexuals, does God hate gays, child custody dispute, gay Christians, injustice in legal system, justice system, peter in jail, fight over children, the power of the Holy Spirit, who went to jail in bible, strip search in jail, bondsman, prisoner, prayer, spiritual God is on my side, the power of prayer, god’s abiding love, is God on your side, receiving Jesus as Savior, money greedy lawyers, attorney, Is God worth the price, persecution, love, hate, Satan, God, Jesus, church persecution of gays, controversial love
Linda Dipman is the author of “I Want to Know My Future” and “The Game of Life It’s Almost Over” She wrote christian books after suffering persecution from her church.She was attacked, thrown in jail for running with her children and deprived of justice from the courts. It was moment that helped her to look back at what she believed was true. It is a
book about miracles preformed by God.http://lovinghandsministry.com
Processing your request, Please wait....
