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An Instrument of Grace
It was one of the strangest conversations 1 have ever been a part of. Two teenagers were trying to one-up each other telling me just how bad they were. They seemed to believe that I would be most impressed by the worst of the two.
We were at a Christmas party in Juvenile Hall. Our Christian group had gone there prayerfully asking the Lord to guide our conversations and to use us to draw these kids to Himself. And here I was ... in the middle of a conversation that was going from bad to worse. They were expressing their admiration for the prisoners at San Quentin. In their eyes these were "real men," and that is who they aspired to be.
At first I thought they were pulling my leg, but I soon realized they were serious. Their dream in life was to have the reputation of someone who deserved to go to San Quentin.
It made me realize just how twisted our perceptions can be come without the light of God's Word. I sadly wondered how you reach kids like these. Nothing I said seemed to make a difference.
After the refreshments, a speaker who had come with our group stood up. "Take a look at my boots," he said. "They are San Quentin issue."
You could have heard a pin drop. The attention of every kid in that room was riveted on the speaker. Here was one of their heroes---in the flesh.
"I know how you think," he continued. "I know you believe that those are 'real men' and you want to go there. Well, I've been there; and I'm here to tell you that's messed up, man!"
I was cheering inside. Here was someone who could communicate with these kids in their own language!
The speaker went on to present Christ as his defense lawyer. His listeners understood about breaking the law and about trials and what it meant to have someone on their side. It was beautifully done, and the timing could not have been more perfect.
I never learned his name, but I have never forgotten that speaker. He is a living example of what God's grace can do. He can take even our worst mistakes and failures in life and transform them into avenues through which He can uniquely draw others to Himself. All He needs is our trust in Him and our willingness to be used.
That man could have hidden his past. He didn't have to be there that night. But he chose to be God's instrument.
I don't think he knew how much of an impact he had made or how perfectly timed his testimony had been. And it probably had cost him. It is never easy to admit to the failures in our life. Yet by doing so, he had followed his Master. How? He had laid down his life–in this case his image–for the sake of others. And in the process, he had become an instrument of grace.
And as useless as I had felt about not being able to communicate with those two boys, I later realized that God had blessed even my clumsy efforts. He had used that conversation to expose the desires of their hearts. They had just admitted who they wanted to be. And then God spoke directly to them through His speaker.
It really is true... nothing we do for Him, however clumsy, is ever wasted.
Maria Lund