I am resting in God's goodness and reminded of His faithfulness today. Yesterday was one of those milestone events in the Paddock Household. As many of you may know, my husband, Glenn, has an incredibly testimony of God's grace and redemption. Click here to read: Glenn's Story.
To sum it up, Glenn had a radical coming to faith, but even after God saved him, he had to pay for the consequences of his past actions. He did some actual time in jail...actually he had violated the terms of his probation and a few months after becoming a Christian he actually went and turned himself in. Thankfully after serving a short sentence the judge ordered him to finish his sentence by completing the program at the Old Savannah City Mission. Although his "time" was done, he still had 3 years of probation left.
Well...the limitations of that probation meant we always had to have a travel voucher if we crossed out of the state lines. We couldn't leave the country. Always had to call in. Always had to pay. Well...yesterday Glenn called to find out what the final balance was on his payments and after he was told he paid it off. Then he said, "when is my probation finished?" (He had been thinking it was May 15th.) That's when the officer said..."May 7th, that's today. Your probation is over today. I'll start your paperwork." I think Glenn heard the angels in Heaven sing for a moment.
I came across the office and gave him a long hug as tears filled my eyes.....it is finished. No limitations. Freedom. And because it was a first offender's charge, his records will be wiped clean. It will not hinder him. I have never seen my husband smile as much as he smiled yesterday. We went out to dinner last night to "Celebrate" and I will never forget him saying, "I feel like a whole man again."
I am letting you into this personal moment of ours because it IS part of our testimony. It is a day in our life. God has used it to remind me of the fact that Christ wiped our slate clean. HE gave us ultimate freedom. And while there are times when we have to pay the consequences of our actions, at the end of the day, if we accept Christ as our Savior, the One who paid our debts.....we are free. I am thankful that God allowed me to see it in a different light to tangibly grasp that feeling of "my chains are gone, I've been set free" through my husband's eyes.
I also share this because I know there are people in this world who have messed up and are having to live out the consequences of a past life. And I'm sure there are days when it feels like you're never going to be able to live out your new life in Christ. I'm sure my husband would tell you to hang on. And that every bit of his life, good decisions and bad, all led him to this point. I also know he would tell you it has all worked together for the good. It is his testimony. Every day, God is using him, to pour into the lives of other men who are walking a path that he once did through the Urban Training Institute.
Thank You God for your faithfulness.......and for allowing us to walk this exact road because we know it is for YOUR renown. I am so thankful for my husband. I am so proud of my husband. And I am loving the look of confidence and freedom in his eyes. It is amazing.
Please keep us in your prayers as we serve each day to make a difference in the lives of people God brings into our path. Please check out one of those ways here by reading about The Dream Campaign and discover how you can be involved in making a huge difference by helping dreams come true.
For His Renown,
Morgan
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