“Never grow tired of doing good; at the right time you’ll
reap a harvest." ~ Galatians 6:9
Prisoner #846239 opened his Bible,
something he did every morning before chow. It was the same Bible that sat on his shelf at
home for years collecting dust. It’s
like God and jail were somehow connected.
He browsed through several passages, not to seek God but to try and find
the answer to why he’s behind these walls again. Galatians
6:9 seemed to jump from the page.
He’d already served half of his 26 month sentence for a
series of petty crimes. But he wasn’t
sure he’d make it. Good behavior got #846239
into the prison work detail outside the prison walls 7 hours a day, 5 days a
week. But Georgia heat in the summer was
like the breath of hell.
Today he and 5 other trustees were cutting grass at a local cemetery:
86oF and 100% humidity. Even
sweating offered little help in the muggy heat. It trickled down his neck and back like warm
soup. The ground surrendered a
disorientating haze; the grass stood still as if it were too hot to move. Even the birds were silent.
Maybe he’d just walk away today; disappear into the shadows of
homelessness and never reappear in public.
He looked over at the guard to assess the opportunity.
Something was wrong.
The guard was clutching his chest.
His lungs seemed to be searching the air for relief. His breaths shortened, wheezing with each
successive gasp. Then he collapsed onto
the ground, dry grass sticking to his face.
His second thought – Galatians 6:9 ... “always do good.”
He sprung to action.
Instead of taking advantage of the situation, he helped the unconscious
guard. Inmate #846239 quickly opened
his bulletproof vest and immediately began chest compressions. Instead of reaching for his gun, another
inmate took the guard’s cell phone and called for paramedics.
The guard was rushed to the hospital, and though he doesn’t
recall much of what happened, the inmates were the real heroes. “A man’s life meant more to them than any
selfish thoughts of freedom,” he said later.
For doing the right thing, the officer’s
family treated all six of them to a pizza lunch in the park. But more importantly, each one of their
sentences was commuted to time served!
Tyler Hayes, former inmate 846239, was now a free man.
When we express our appreciation of God it enhances our
enjoyment of him. God heard Tyler’s
prayer and provided an opportunity. It
was one of many ‘good’ decisions Tyler would make for the rest of his life
praising his Savior.
“Lord, thank You for giving me another day,
another chance to become a better person, another chance to give and experience
love, another opportunity to do it right.” ~ T. Hayes #846239
