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By Glen Doss, Major
Look yonder carefully, see
In the eyes of those tattooed young men,
Not just resentment toward authority,
Though it glares like sunlight streaming in,
But a ravenous hunger for salvation,
Not so easily discerned,
A veritable rush of the human spirit
For union with the divine.
So a brush with hell may propel a man
Like nothing else under the sun.
“Chaplain, Richard’s here to see you.” “Then send him in,” I reply.
Next, followed by two others, a tattooed young man enters.
All grins from ear to ear, the three stare at me expectantly.
They look so very excited that I get excited, too!
“Chaplain, I’ve been thinking about our talk this morning,
And I have decided to accept the Lord today—yes, today!
If it’s alright with you, I asked my friends to be here, too.”
Jumping up ecstatically, “Oh, praise the Lord!” I shout,
As we bring our arms together, emotionally I pray:
“Our blessed Lord and Savior, we bring to you our brother,
Who’s surrendering to you all his heart and life and will.”
Following my lead, quite solemnly Richard prays:
“Lord Jesus, how I love you, how I need you!
I open up my heart to receive you.
Thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross for my sins,
For pardoning my wrongs. Set me completely free
Of the bondage of myself—I’ve been so in love with me!
Please show me how each day I may best serve thee;
Make me into the man you want me to be.”
As we congratulate our brother, I sense another presence,
A band of angels with us, a celestial chorus.
As the three, excited men skip happily down the hall,
Alone in my office, tearfully I kneel and pray,
“Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your sweet grace today.”
‘Thank you, Lord, for your miracles’
Lord, thank you for showing me how miracles are made
One marvel at a time,
How human spirits are moved by the subtlest of things,
Like hands offered in love—no strings attached—
When accompanied by smiles forthright and sure;
That first names used personally
With souls disenfranchised
Can turn scowls into smiles for a lifetime,
Melting hearts as cold as icicles
With the warmth of a bear hug.
You teach me how promises consistently kept
Convey powerful truths like, “Jesus loves you, and so do I!”
You show me how cruelty branded into a youth
By people long since passed,
Can—by these acts of authentic love—
Lose finally its devastating force
And tears of relief fall freely.
Delightfully, these messages carried by others and me
Work their miracles.
Yes, Lord, I have learned that there is no scar etched so deeply,
No blow dealt so deftly,
That the love of Jesus can’t heal.
Thank you, Lord, for your miracles!