Читать книгу Inspirational Short Stories - Donald Ray "Butch" Smith - Страница 7

chapter 2

JOHNNY

This is a story about a man named Johnny. On three different occasions, Johnny had been arrested for selling drugs. Faced with the “three strikes and you out” conviction, Johnny was given life in prison.

Johnny did not grow up going to church, but he knew about God. Johnny learned about the Lord during his previous two times while being in prison. During his first month in prison, Johnny prayed to God to give him another chance to be free from prison and change his life.

While serving two months in prison, Johnny became very depressed. He contemplated on committing suicide. Johnny had stripped out of his clothes and made a noose to hang himself. As Johnny stood upon the bathroom commode and placed his neck into the noose, a voice spoke to him.

“Thou shall not kill.”

“Say, Charles, man, what did you say?” asked Johnny as he took his neck out of the noose, yelling out loud to Charles in the next cell.

Johnny placed his neck back into the noose. A voice said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Johnny took his neck from the noose again and ran up to his cell. “Charles, I heard you, man.”

“Johnny, man, it’s late. Go to bed and get some rest.”

“I’m going to get me some everlasting rest.”

“Good night, Johnny.”

Johnny placed his neck back into the noose. A voice said, “I am Jesus, who healed the woman who had the issue of blood twelve years. I am Jesus, who gave sight to the blind. I am Jesus, who raised the dead. I am Jesus, who made the lame to walk. I am Jesus, who made the deaf to hear. I am Jesus, who walked on the sea. I am Jesus, who delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. I am Jesus, who set the captive free and loose the prisoner.”

Suddenly Johnny came out of the noose and started crying out to God shouting, “Thank you, Jesus!”

The next day, Johnny was witnessing all over the prison, and a week later, Johnny was released from prison.