Hey, It's me again!!
I guess this is the right forum huh? Duuhhhh
I shared with you all how God stopped a bullet in my shoe; Well you would think that would be enough for me to get my act together right?....
WRONG. I was once told I had the
hardest head in the house. Whoever said that just might be on to something
About four years after being shot at, I found myself in a bigger pile of mess...
I was a server for Red Lobster for about 3 years and really loved serving people and making cash daily.
This was the only job that I'd held for longer than six months. (You all wouldn't believe the number of jobs I've had if I told you
). But I really enjoyed serving and I thought that I could hold it down for quite some time. My plans and God's plans were very conflicting to say the least.
One day while at work there was a buzz going around about how someone broke into the manager's office and stole $600 bucks. I thought to myself this can't be true because of where the office was located (in the alley where servers are constantly going in and out to accommodate guests). But sure enough it was true and so the manager conducted interviews with all of the employees to state how there was going to be an official investigation with county detectives and the whole nine. When it came time for my interview she stated that everyone for some reason felt that I was the only one who possessed the courage to do something like that. I was like WOW..I'm glad somebody believes in me
I felt very offended by the fact that she would even bring that up to me because I worked really hard for that company
So, during the interview I confessed to some things I did wrong, but how I would never take such a risk. Based upon what I confessed she stated that they had to suspend me, given the nature of what had transpired. So I was like ok, I know this will blow over. Not so. When I came back from a week suspension they terminated me on grounds of violating company policies. My response.."You've got to be kidding me!"
But yeah they gave me the boot.
I was sore displeased to the point where I didn't care about being moral, ethical or anything that had to do with righteousness. I begin to sell marijuana, hoping that I would be able to pay my bills, but the clientele was just not up to par. So, I decided to rob a store with a friend of mine. But, before I get into that... The week leading up to me robbing the store I just felt very depressed. I couldn't get high, I wasn't happy and I just knew something bad was about to happen. I even told one of my roommates that I had a feeling that I was about to lose everything. He didn't understand, but I just felt it so bad to the point where the night before the robbery took place I went outside and cried out to God to help me. I found a stick and wrote help in the ground as many times as the dirt would allow. (I think it was about six times) Little did I know help was on the way.....
The next day my friend shows up and though we were very nervous we went along with the plan to rob the store. We got away from the establishment free and clear, but decided to go back out to get something to eat about 40 minutes after the robbery. We changed clothes and everything, but we could not find the skullcap my friend was wearing during the robbery. We flipped the seats in the car and searched high and low, but we couldn't find it. We decided to leave anyhoo and ran right into a road block. The detectives stated that an armed robbery had just taken place and once we were in the clear they would let us go. Well they brought the employees from the establishment to see if they could identify us. The employees stated that my friend looked like the guy that robbed them. That gave the detectives reasonable cause to search the vehicle. Well, guess what they found in
three seconds....the skullcap.
My friend and I could not believe we overlooked the skullcap and they found it so quick. They took us in for questioning and based upon what was discovered they indicted us.
I didn't know that armed robbery was one of the seven deadly sins in Georgia and that it carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years. Upon finding that out I was literally about to go crazy. I could not see myself spending the rest of my 20's in prison. (I was 22 at the time) I was scared to tell my family because I knew they wouldn't believe that I, the so spiritually inclined one, would be involved in something so disgraceful. They rallied together to get me a lawyer, but right when they were about to give the lawyer a deposit, my grandfather died and my aunt, who was his power of attorney, had spent all of his money while she was taking care of him. So my family had to scrape up monies to bury my grandfather respectfully.
The lawyer that consulted my family stated that my case was weak because most of the employees new me personally and didn't believe I would do something of that nature. But I had to settle for a public
pretender... I call him a pretender because he did not at all defend me. The D.A. knew that my case was weak and that it probably wouldn't hold up at trial. She offered a plea of 10 years to serve only 3 in prison and the rest on probation. After she had stated why she felt this would be justifiable the judge was considering the plea. But while the judge was considering the offer, my pretender decided to tell the judge "The only thing my client did was ask one of the employees had any changes been made since the prior robbery". I could not believe the words they came out of his mouth!! I mean I heard them and everything, but I just could not believe he had the audacity to divulge our attorney/client privileged conversation.
The judge looked around the courtroom mockingly and said "Well if that ain't planning an armed robbery I don't know what is". She then stated that I deserve no less than 10 years and turned down the plea. I'm not going to share with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ what I wanted to do to him
I just knew then that I would get 10 years and I just begin to pray that God gave me strength to do it.
My lawyer then sent me a letter stating that if my co-defendant agreed to admit he robbed the store by himself that they would let me go. I sent the letter to my friend and he stated that we were going to split the money so let's split the time. I felt that was my last ray of hope sizzling in the oven. About 9 months later it was time for me to decide to either take it to trial or accept anything the D.A. had to offer. She, the D.A., came out to the holding area and told me she was going to try and get me a straight 5 years, but it was no guarantee. I though it mighty strange that though this D.A. knew I was dead to rights, she was going out of her way on my behalf. I told her of course I would accept 5 years. side note: The judge in my case had previously stated that she wanted to give out a million years before she retired. She was the strictest of the strict. So as we proceeded in the courtroom the D.A. recommended the 5 years to the judge and I was hoping the judge had forgot what was said 9 months prior, but she didn't. She asked isn't this the one who had asked whether or not anything was changed since the prior robbery and the D.A. begin to adamantly share with the judge that though that was true she didn't feel they had enough evidence to take me to trial. I was blown away by how the D.A. was so lenient on me. Usually the D.A. makes the perpetrator out to be Satan himself. Though the judge did not want to accept the plea, she got tired of going back and forth with the D.A. and so she reluctantly granted the plea.
I was so happy, I smiled to my parents and gave them and jubilant two thumbs up. There is no explanation other than the grace of God that spared me from serving prison time up until 2014. Oh and in regards to the D.A.'s statement that there wasn't enough evidence to take the case to trial. Let's see if you agree: The money from the robbery was in my apartment closet, the gun was in my car, I was at the scene during the robbery and I was caught with the guy who confessed to committing the crime. What do you think?
As I look back, I feel God had a hand in everything, even me being terminated from Red Lobster.
At the time I didn't want to accept that God had something to do with my being incarcerated because I knew I was guilty. And I reminded myself of the scripture, "Let not any of you suffer for unrighteousness". But, now I believe full-heartedly that God was involved.I served 3 1/2 years of my 5 years in prison and God really showed me favor throughout my sentence. You guys wouldn't believe some of the luxuries I was privy to while incarcerated. I was practically free the last 19 months of my incarceration.
While incarcerated I searched God with my whole heart and even became a muslim because of all the unanswered questions I had in regards to mainstream theology. I quickly realize that Islam was not the way but I knew there was more, but that's another story. I came out of prison a new man. I realized that I was taking for granted all of the gifts God had blessed me with and that I needed to really apply myself. God is really blessing me now and I'm on the verge of financial freedom. But I know that it's all because of the grace of God towards me. Thank you all for reading what God has done in my life.
Gratefully Yours,
Charles
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Topic: Another Account of God's Grace Towards Me (Read 5222 times)