Sometimes God finds us in expected places. Tonia was sitting in a jail cell, all alone, when she heard God whisper, “I’m here with you.”
She had walked into court that day expecting an entirely different outcome. Tonia knew she was guilty, but her lawyer had told her that jail time was unlikely. There would be community service, a lot of community service, but the two sides had come to an agreement that incarceration would not be necessary. The judge disagreed.
In that moment Tonia went from standing before the court in her Sunday best to walking into a holding cell in handcuffs. It was just a few feet away, but it felt like a whole different world.
As she spent time in the solitude of prison, Tonia rediscovered a thirst for God and asked if there were any Bible studies she could do. She started doing the studies alone in her cell, and then moved to sitting just outside her cell. It didn’t take long for some of the other women to ask what she was doing and join her.
By the time she came to the end of her sentence, there were three separate groups of women doing Bible studies together. These women saw what Tonia was doing, saw how she was living her life, even while confined, and wanted what she had.
Who is watching what you are doing today?
It’s easy to think that you’re not in a mission field, but that’s not true. No matter what you spend your days doing, people are watching. As you walk in the Spirit, it is inevitable that many of them will want to know the joy and peace you are experiencing.
If someone asked you about your faith, would you know where to start? If not, the Shine series can help.