A Prison Story




Trish Jenkins is a well-presented, clear-eyed, likeable lady. I met her at church. There is nothing to suggest she has ‘done time’ in prison.

Conned by a fraud and a breach of the Corporations Act, Trish lost her successful business and their family home – and spent eight months locked away from her husband and three daughters.

Ouch! What would I do?

What would you do?

Undaunted, Trish viewed it as an opportunity to share the gospel with her fellow prisoners and some of the workers. She listened to the pain of her fellow-prisoners and prayed for them. Many of the prayers were answered.

Instead of lying there, praying, ‘God, get me out of here’, in particularly difficult situations Trish constantly asked God for His perspective, then acted accordingly. Sometimes she wept. But one of her first prayers was for God to make her more effective!

Below is an excerpt from her book, Treasures of Darkness: A Prison Journey, used with her permission. This book is for sale on Amazon along with her two other books. I’ve written a brief review of this book on Goodreads.

God led Trish to a scripture.


“That which you do to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do to me.”

See Matthew 25:31-46 for the full context. It also warns,
“That which you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for Me.”
I felt the Lord ask me, “Who are the ‘least’ in society?”

“I think it’s us, Lord," I answered. "People feel sorry for abused children, the handicapped, the sick, and the mentally ill, but we are despised.”

“That’s right, and yet (the nurse) serves you.”

The irony was not lost on me.
God has a great sense of humour!

What was funnier was when I shared my revelation with the nurse the next day! There is a part of me that is a little cheeky about the things of God, and I wanted to see her response.
How could I not?

As she served me, I thanked her politely and said, “You know the Bible says when you are serving us, you are serving Jesus.”

She looked stunned, “Well, I don’t believe that!”

I smiled at her and replied, “It doesn’t matter if you believe it. We are the very least in society. What anyone does to us, they do to Christ. Thank you.”

“Move along, Jenkins!” I’m sure the supervising officer was hiding a smile.
Perhaps the Lord will touch her, and perhaps not. It’s not my call.








This and her two other books are for sale on Amazon.







There are many such anecdotes in the book.

I found it an easy and inspiring read.




At the end of it, I sensed God whispering, How would you fare in prison? My answer is: not as well as Trish but I’d cast myself desperately on You, God, and ask You to get me through. I wouldn’t find it easy at all. I’d find it very hard.

How do you think you would go?

What would be your way of surviving?














Comments

  1. Jeanette O'Hagan15 August 2018 at 04:41

    Love it. Sounds like a great book. Not sure how well I would fare in similar circumstances, but such a great way to think about all the circumstances we find ourselves in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeanette Grant-Thomson15 August 2018 at 23:15

      Thanks for commenting, Jenny. I'd find it very daunting. Would cast myself on God but . . .

      Delete

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