“I learned it from a friend,” a sincere answer emanated from those dry, cracking lips of this young man in front of me. His eyes surrounded with dark circles. His weight, seemed so much lighter for his age. He was able to meet my sympathetic gaze with those tired, somber eye contact.“He’s back!!! What’s wrong with him now?,” exclaimed the medication nurses who recognized him from his previous incarceration, which was not long ago. I walked into the jail’s pharmacy to check if there was any medication already given to this young patient. He requested to be seen, complaining of nausea and vomiting and inability to sleep.
A chorus of opinions continued to flood the tiny room, filled with many different kinds of medications in different forms.
“Remember him, nurse Rcubes? He was just released. He looks like a walking zombie now,” added one medication nurse.
“He learned his drug use from his own mom. She’s also an addict,” joined another one.
“He told me though that he learned it initially from a friend, not his mom,” I uttered.
“No! He’s lying! It was from his mom,” insisted that particular commenter.
“I don’t know. But I know in my heart that he told me the truth. That’s not important anyway. I just hope that he’ll still get out of this nasty trap so he can live,” I answered.
Sadly, I discovered that there was no other medications to be given to him as everything was already initiated the day he entered the jail.
“Thank you Ma’am for checking,” he uttered in a soft, whisper-like voice.
“Sir, as someone who believes in you, I just want you to know that there are resources outside, when you get released, to help you get out of this bad habit. You are still young. Only 18. It doesn’t matter even if you’re using heroin for 2 years now. There is a way out. But the change to become a better person has to come from you. I believed what you told me, that you learned it from a friend. And even if there are influences around you, you don’t have to go with that flow. If you don’t stop, you will end your life because of this…”
Waiting for a nasty response and attitude, he replied, “Thank you, Ma’am. I will try. You’re right. I want to live some more…,” as his sad gaze pierced my own vision and felt some gratitude with his expression. He got up and went back to his unit.
As I stood still and in my mind prayed, “Lord, You are the One Who can make that change possible in this young man who has so many potential. Despite that no one believes in him anymore, You do. I do…Because You made the changes in my stubborn heart long time ago, too…”
The dictionary describes the word “stifle” with the following:
~ to quell, crush, or end by force: to stifle a revolt; to stifle free expression.
~ to suppress, curb, or withhold: to stifle a yawn
~ to kill by impeding respiration; smother.
Paul had reminded us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 not to stifle the Holy Spirit. He went on to verse 20 by adding not to scoff at prophecies. We should not ignore or toss aside the gifts the Holy Spirit gives. V.21 - but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.
In 1 Corinthians 14:39, he talked about “speaking in tongues”. Sometimes, spiritual gifts become controversial and may cause a division in the church. Instead of trying to solve a problem, some Christians prefer to smother the gifts. But it impoverishes the church. We should not stifle the Holy Spirit’s work in anyone’s life but encourage the full expression of these gifts to benefit the whole body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Nobody from my co-workers wanted to believe that inmate. But what if he’s telling the truth? He may have a long history of being a drug addict, a menace to this society…but we don’t have to be famous, rich, nor good looking to be used by God. He uses common, ordinary people from all walks of life to make His glory known. Look at some of the people God used in the Bible:
~ Sarah was barren but gave birth to Isaac in her old age
~ Moses was an ordinary guy God used to deliver the people from the crushing hand of the Pharaoh
~ Joshua who had faith in God was used by the Lord and who led God’s people to defeat Jericho
~ Rahab was a common prostitute, but she believed God and saved Joshua’s spies.
~ Paul, who was an angry man, a strict Jew, who persecuted Christians. He was a Pharisee who approved the stoning of Stephen. Yet, he was seen by God as a man for a special job. He met Jesus through a vision and his conversion started from there [Acts 9:1-19]. His journeys, sufferings, works are all in “Acts of the Apostles” and he also wrote letters to churches at Rome, Corinth, and others.
I can go on and on but the point is God used ordinary people whose weaknesses He turned into strength. If Christ, himself was ordinary being a carpenter’s son, why would we think or expect that God would just use special people for His purposes?
When it seems that things are impossible, don’t forget that God’s glory shines through the weakest vessels….
“But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart." - 1Samuel 16:7 [The Message]
