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All of Jackie Wilson’s days were depressing, but the dreary rain made today even worse than usual. Jackie’s life had been hard for as long as she could remember. Her parents had abandoned her when she was only fourteen and since there were no relatives that wanted her, she had fended for herself the last eight years. She had no family, no education, and no job and now she had no future. Six months earlier, she and her ex-boyfriend had been found guilty of attempted armed robbery. This was not Jackie’s first brush with the law so she had been sentenced to seven years. Jackie understood loneliness; she had been lonely all of her life, but confinement was something she did not understand. She had always had her freedom until now.
Jackie opened a small cardboard box that held the few personal items she had accumulated since her incarceration six months earlier. There were four postcards that had been sent to her from a girl she had known in junior high school. Jackie had not read them until today.
The first one was dated about three weeks after Jackie became a prisoner. The postcard said, “Hey Jackie, I’m not sure if you remember me from school. I sat right behind you in three different classes. I’m so sorry for the problems you are having and I just wanted you to know I am praying for you everyday. God cares about you, Jackie, and so do I. Love in Christ, Mary Russell”
“God care about me, Ha! He doesn’t even know my name.”
The next card said, “Hey Jackie, it’s me again. I just wanted you to know that my church is praying for you. We care about you Jackie. I want you to know God not only cares about you, but He loves you. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for you and me. That’s how much He loves us.”
“How can God love me? I’m not lovable, my mom and dad didn’t love me enough to raise me. How can someone that doesn’t even know me, love me?”
The third postcard read, “Jackie, I hope by now you understand how much God loves you and that you are never alone. Others may let you down, but God will never leave or forsake you. It helps to talk to Him. He understands everything and He is always ready to forgive if we ask Him.”
By the time Jackie began to read the final postcard, a lump had formed in her throat and her eyes were filling with tears.
“Hey Jackie, it’s your friend, Mary, again. I hope you have been talking to God. I know He wants to talk to you. Some of my friends from church and myself are planning to visit you at the next visitor’s day if it’s okay with you. We want to bring you a bible. God loves you Jackie and He wants you to be part of His family. Please give God a try, Jackie. I know you will never regret it. I hope to see you soon. Until then please know God loves you!”
Jackie sat in her chair in the small dark cell and let the words she had read from each postcard sink into her mind and heart. Tears were falling from her face now and she didn’t care who saw them. All of her life she had been searching for someone who would love her and not leave her when things got tough. According to Mary, God was the One she could count on. She had never prayed before and she was not sure what to do. Mary had written to just talk to God and that’s what Jackie began to do. She asked for His forgiveness and thanked Him for being with her.
Jackie went to the door of her cell and called for the warden. He walked over to her cell and asked what she wanted. Jackie asked, “Could you tell me when the next visiting day will be? I have friends coming to see me and they are bringing a special gift.”
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