"And
we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds,
but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you
come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with
me in Paradise."
Like all lawyers, I am sometimes called upon to give a pro
bono consultation to low (or no) income persons qualified through a local bar
association program. Through this program I met with a young lady who had many problems.
Her husband was in jail; they had one child and another on the way. She was at the stage
of her pregnancy when she could no longer work. After the new baby’s birth, child
care for two kids would cost nearly as much as she could earn. She had recently been
evicted from her apartment; her car would be repossessed as soon as the loan company could
find it; a criminal charge for shoplifting was pending against her. There were a few more
issues; altogether, her problems were more than she believed she could
"survive." I was afraid to ask exactly what that meant.
We discussed the usual options. Everything I could think of she had
already tried, unsuccessfully. There were various programs that would help in due course,
but she was desperate for immediate help. She had no family and no friends. Finally I
said, "How about your church?" To that point she had been open and talkative.
After the church question, she was out the door without another word.
Months later she called me to explain why she had left so abruptly.
This is rare; I never hear back. She still had most of her old problems but things were
much different now. She knew she would survive and eventually overcome her difficulties.
She had left our earlier conference because she couldn’t confront having quit church.
It bothered her terribly. But it was the one problem she had the immediate means to
resolve herself, and she had accomplished it without going through a program. Resurrecting
church involvement changed her outlook on everything. Her life surely wasn’t
Paradise, but being back with God was Paradise to her.
Heavenly Father, daily renew, strengthen, and deepen our faith so
we may have confidence and comfort that we are truly with you -- here and now -- not
someday in the future if we earn it, but today -- by your sacrifice and your grace.
