Leave

“I’m fine. I just fell off my bunk,” stated a worried face in front of me, as the unit’s deputy stood nearby.

“You have to tell me now. This is your chance to really make yourself away from harm. If you didn’t understand me the first time, I want to ask you again, is there someone in your unit threatening you or wanting to hurt you in any way?” I repeated.

Silence…

“Sir, this is the last time I’m going to ask you. I can’t find anything wrong with you medical-wise. You complained of pain here and there. But there were not enough symptoms to pinpoint the cause…,”

“Yes, there is someone threatening me,” his words cutting off what I was saying above.

“I’m glad you finally told me. I can’t help you with that but I can have the deputy help you by having you leave that unit and be moved to another safer unit,” I replied.

I pulled over the deputy to one corner and let him know what the inmate told me. He nodded and thanked me. He made the inmate get up and he said “thank you” to me.

I knew he wouldn’t worry anymore. At least for the meantime. The threats would always be there somewhere. But it would be devastating not to be able to leave that situation if he didn’t become honest with my queries.

Prisoners who had been there in the jail sometimes try to intimidate newer ones. Sometimes, they threaten these weak ones so they can use them for their own selfish agenda. Like delivering illegal things, shanks, even drugs. They might use them to steal other inmates’ stuff for their own supply or use. They threaten the weaklings because they know they are too weak to avoid them and if they ever tell anyone from custody staff, the predators instill fear in them that they would end up getting hurt if they don‘t listen to their demands.

After a few minutes, I checked the housing location for that inmate I saw. He was already moved. I could only pray…for his safety and temporary refuge.

Our spiritual enemies are constantly bombarding us with his wily threats. He is so active in throwing those darts of temptations and they all come in subtle ways. However, if we are not careful and are not able to stay away from them, it could be costly with our own spiritual walks with the Lord.

[Please silence my playlist]:




Proverbs 3:25-26 - “You need not be afraid of disaster or destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 - “But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”

1 Timothy 6:9 - “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.”

Hebrews 2:18 - “Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.”

James 4:7 - “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Pride

Please excuse me from not being able to visit at this time. I'm busy having guests over. But I don't want to miss Spiritual Sundays, a special place where friends gather and hosted by two special ladies. Please go here and be inspired by these precious friends.

Long time ago, when I was assigned in another facility, I used to do sick calls prior to the end of my shift in the morning. I tried to be fast by doing the treatments first, like dressing changes, blood pressure checks, footsoaks [yeah, sounds like spa treatment!]…


Prior to doing my sick call, I usually reviewed the charts and tried to prepare the medications I anticipated to give. For instance, if an inmate was complaining of coughs and cold, I would prepare the pain reliever and cold pills. It made my sick call more organized. Thus, everyone got seen and I finished my list, instead of passing it on for the next day’s sick call.


I asked the inmates direct to the point kind of questions. I tried not to give them more time inside my little office. They would tend to look around and would get familiar with what things were in a particular place. Also, I tried not to be distracted. That was for my own safety and for safe keeping of things around us.


One time, as I was in the middle of my sick call and had probably just 3 inmates left, I was thinking I would have a lot of time left for my charting. When a well-sculpted inmate walked in. I remembered reading his chart and his sick call request, complaining of cold symptoms.


I looked at him once and greeted him a good morning. He sat down on the chair against the table I was using. He flexed his arms. But I didn’t say anything. I knew right away that he wanted me to give him a compliment. He flexed it some more. No response from this nurse.


“Sir, what brings you here today?”

“Uhmmm…I don’t feel good.”

“I know you don’t feel good. Can you be more specific?”

He lifted the sleeves on both of his arms. And flexed his muscles. Every muscle was well-built from using the bars to lift themselves up or do hundreds of push-ups.

“Look at these,” he said, making his muscles move as if he was Hercules.

“What about it, Sir?” I asked, still with the same stoic face.

“Can’t you see?”

“See what? If you came here to just display your muscles, obviously, you’re not sick. Kindly step out of my office now and you may go,” as I called the deputy at the same time and told him about the situation.


The inmate was surprised. Surprised that I didn’t compliment him and that I ended his sick call just like that. But he wasn’t upset with my latter gesture. He went back to his cell. Turned around really quick and said to me, “I’m sorry, Ma’am.”

“It’s okay. But if you’re really, really sick, you can come see us anytime,” I replied.

We can feel good about a job we did so well and there’s nothing wrong with that. But what God hates is the kind of pride that arises from self-righteousness. He hates it because it stops us from seeking Him.

Because of pride, many people do not accept Jesus as their Savior. Pride is a sin that God hates because we are giving credit to ourselves, instead of giving it to God, Who accomplishes things. It is bragging about the glory that truly belongs to Him. It is worshipping ourselves, instead of the Lord Who deserves our worship.

Next time you parade your muscles to anyone, think about Who enabled and sustained you to have those in the first place.

From NIV:

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ~ James 4:6 [ESV]

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. ~ Proverbs 16:18-19

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 5:3

4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. ~Psalm 10:4

7For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? ~ 1 Corinthians 4:7

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. ~ Proverbs 8:13

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Bad Can Be Good

Have you guys seen this video? Before I transferred to working in a prison facility, a lot of former co-workers from the hospital mostly had negative remarks of why I shouldn't go there. The number one reason was it was not a safe place to be.

But what would I do if the Lord was bringing me here? I would rather trust the One Who knew what was best for me at that time. And He would be my Protector!

Turned out to be, I even felt safer working in that environment.

There are many deputies who would be there in a heartbeat if something goes wrong. And of all the impossible.....there are those times, when some inmates themselves, step in to protect the staff....

From the moment I started working there, I knew that if I wanted to be respected, you had to treat everyone with respect..."You reap what you sow..." [Galatians 6:7].

[Please silence my playlist before watching]...




A new broom sweeps clean.

We may change our methods but we don't change the basic principles.

If you're not changed, you don't have Jesus, because He changes people! No matter how good you are, He'll make you better!

Lord help me to change the things that need to be changed, & not to change the things that don't need to be changed, & especially Lord, help me to know the difference!

Just because we did it that way yesterday, doesn't mean we have to do it that way today! If you can find some easier, quicker, shorter, better, faster way to do it, do it!

All changes are difficult & sometimes costly, but if they're good changes, in the long run they pay off!

[Quotes from Word of Love]

Disobedience vs. Obedience

He had two bumps up on top of his head. One bigger bump started bleeding and the Intake Nurse phoned me and asked me what needed to be done as she didn’t remember that particular inmate going through her to be asked with medical questions.

“Let’s take care of the bleeding first. Then, we’ll find out if he’s already booked, we can ask the Sergeant if we can have our transportation deputy bring him to the hospital, since it looks like his cut needs suturing. For now, let’s control that bleeding,” I stated.

The man was not too drunk. His face was red and a slight alcohol smelling breath was exhaled every time. He was in a bar at the wee hours of that morning and ended up having a fight with a woman. He didn’t remember much, except that she hit his head with her high-heeled shoe that caused those two bumps and that bleeding cut in one of them. He seemed nervous, being new to the jail.

“Sir, just follow the rules here, whatever they tell you. In a few hours, just be patient and remain cooperative, and you’ll be released. When they do, our deputy will bring you to the county hospital and give you a ride. That way, the doctor in ER can suture your bleeding cut,” as I reassured him.

After the bandage was put with pressure, he was told to go back to the holding cell. Unfamiliar with the rules, he wasn’t sure what to do next.

“Cross your hands in front of you and stay on that red line!,” hollered a deputy.

He said something back to the deputy that was not clear for the Intake Nurse and I to hear. As I was making my way back to the Clinic to resume to my duty, next thing we saw, he was pushed against the wall and few deputies had pinned him down on the floor.

The Intake Nurse called me few minutes later and told me that this inmate ended up having a bump on his right eyebrow and some more blood spilled on that cold floor. He was immediately sent out to the ER since he sustained another bleeding cut from his eyebrow and somewhere inside the mouth.

When he came back from the hospital, he told the Intake Nurse that he didn’t deserve that. The Intake Nurse told him that, that was the reason why I told him in the first place, to listen and just follow the rules. When he said something to the deputy and did not obey what he was telling him, that would be taken as being disrespectful. He finally understood and started listening more. That saved him from further troubles.

What repercussions disobedience brings! Cain ended up killing his own brother. King Saul lost his kingship because he didn’t listen to what God wanted him to do. And many more stories.

God desires for us to show Him our love by being obedient to His Word.

In contrast to being disobedient, Noah’s obedience saved humanity from being destroyed. Abraham’s faith and obedience resulted to a great nation promised to him: lots of descendants. Joseph saved his family from famine, despite the abuses he had to endure from his siblings. And Jesus….obeyed what was willed for Him: to die on the cross to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity’s sins.

Jesus said in John 14:15- “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Jesus always strived to please no one else but the Father when He was here. He remained obedient, to the point of giving his life on the cross.

Man’s disobedience always leads to DEATH…But Jesus’ obedience leads to ETERNAL LIFE.