BEST WORST THING EVER | from page 11 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
evening. The day I learned my chicken lesson, I
didn’t have any money in my account to purchase
extra food from the canteen. But there was a
beautiful piece of fried chicken on the tray that
I really wanted for later. So I decided to eat my
dinner, then grab that piece of chicken and sneak
it back to the dorm.
Inmates aren’t allowed to take food from the
chow hall to their dorms, but that chicken looked
so delicious, it was worth the risk. I grabbed it
and put it in my pants pocket, but it was so hot it
burned my leg. I took it out, quickly wrapped it in
a napkin, and stuck it back in my pocket.
As I walked away from the table, the Holy Spirit
said to me, “If I can’t trust you with a piece of
chicken, I can’t trust you with anything.”
I put the chicken back on the plate…turned to
walk away…then grabbed the chicken and stuffed
it back in my pocket.
Again, I heard the Holy Spirit. “How can I trust
you with more if I can’t trust you with this piece
of chicken?” Dejected, I put it back uneaten and
headed to my dorm.
An officer stopped me. “Rodriquez,” he
questioned, “why did you take that chicken?”
“I didn’t. I started to, but I put it back,” I replied.
“I know you put it back; I was watching you. I
want to know why you put it back.”
I hesitated, then said, “The Lord told me to.”
The officer burst out laughing, but then I told him
what I’d heard. “God said if He couldn’t trust me
with a piece of chicken, then He couldn’t trust me
with anything.”
His countenance changed, and he asked me if
I had a bowl. I said yes. He told me to go get my
bowl. When I returned, he placed a piece of steak
and a handful of french fries in my bowl. I started
to cry. It was the best meal I’d ever had.
God continued to teach me the importance of
integrity, and the more faithful I became in the little
things, the closer I sensed God’s presence and the
more favor I received. But I’ll never forget the night
I obeyed Him for chicken, and He blessed me with
steak instead.
One night, a sergeant called me into his office
and said, “Okay, Rodriquez, I’m ready.”
I was like, ready for what?
“I’m ready to give my life to the Lord,” he said.
He’d been watching the way I interacted with
others. He had witnessed the presence of God in
my life and the joy and peace God had given me,
and he wanted it. I prayed with him and led him
to salvation in Jesus Christ.
Then the officer told me he’d just been
promoted and would be leaving our facility. He
hugged me and gave me his number. I’m not sure
if you know this, but officers don’t hug inmates,
much less give them their phone numbers!
You’ve got to know this: God’s grace and favor
knows no boundaries! Man has boundaries, but
God doesn’t. He can reach anyone anywhere; He
can use anyone anywhere. He’s just waiting for us
to humble ourselves and invite Him into our lives.
God is a gentleman. He won’t ever crash your
life party. He’ll allow you to continue down your
own destructive path. He’ll allow you to settle for
the world’s chicken. But the moment you humble
yourself and walk in obedience, the moment
you become faithful in the small things, lay aside
your immediate desires, and trust Him—I’m
telling you, God will bring you steak! He will give
you abundantly more than you could ever have
dreamed or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).
Today I am back home with my family, thankful
for the best worst thing that ever happened to
me…my time-out in prison. My wife and I are
faithfully serving the Lord together. We are blessed
as God continues to provide new opportunities to
reach people for Christ by telling our story.
This article is one amazing example of that.
Several months ago, I was at the barbershop where
I work, and the Lord sent a young Brazilian man
to my chair. Thiago beamed as he shared about
God’s faithfulness in his life. As he was leaving, he
gave me a magazine with his story in it. It was this
magazine, Victorious Living (Issue 3, 2017).
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at the
cover. I had seen this magazine before, during my
time-out. God had sent it to me behind prison
walls. He used it to bring me back to my calling.
The hope and truth provided in its stories reignited
my passion for God and brought me up out of a
pit of despair.
While I was in prison, I actually prayed for a
way to share my story in this magazine. God
answered this prayer by sending a man all the way
from Brazil to connect me with the publisher of
the magazine, Kristi Overton Johnson—who just
happened to be his “adopted” American mom.
A week later, my wife and I were sitting across
from Kristi, sharing our story—the story you are
now reading. Through this interview, we have also
been invited to be an official part of the Victorious
Living ministry team. We never know what God
has planned, but we do know that, as we stay
faithful in the small things, God will continue to
give us opportunities to impact this world. The
same is true for you.
You’ve goT tO kNow thIs:
God’s GraCe And faVor knOws
No BouNdaRieS! Man haS
BouNdaRieS, But goD dOesN’t.
He Can reAch anYonE aNywHerE;
He Can usE aNyoNe AnyWheRe.
He’S jUst waItiNg For
Us To HumBle ouRseLveS aNd
InvIte hiM iNto ouR lIveS.
Photography by Tim Smith Honor Photography kojministries.org Issue 1 2018 29
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