I have always believed that good will ultimately prevail. I believe it was Saint Ignatius who said, “He who has heard the word of God can also bear His silences.”
There are times in every life when, like it or not, we must wait on the Lord. David admonishes us, “Wait upon the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14) Again, David writes, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
Years ago, someone in my congregation gave me a pretty little rock with a lovely flower painted on it. On one side was written, “Lord, give me patience” and on the other side, “I mean right now!” All of us have felt that way. God is always patient. He has an eternity to do his work. He has a different timetable than we do.
Jerry McCalley spent most of his life in prison. He was a thief early in his life. He was lazy and he spent more time in jail than he spent out.
There’s no doubt, the best thing Jerry ever did was to marry a good woman. The greatest thing that can ever happen to a man, rich or poor, sick or well, saint or sinner, is to find and marry a good woman.
McCalley’s wife loved him. She stood by him and prayed for him every day. Every time he was released from jail she was standing just outside the locked doors to welcome him and to remind him how much she loved him. McCalley knew he didn’t deserve such an understanding and forgiving wife. Her love, forgiveness and boundless compassion haunted him. What could he ever do to make up for all the hurt and grief he had caused her?
One day he fell upon his knees and asked God to forgive his sins and help him to live a Christian life. Jerry and his wife started a little mission to help those who were down and out, living in the shadows of New York City. He became known all over the city and the state of New York. Between that point and his death he did many good things for the least deserving. This brought meaning to his heart and great joy to his faithful wife.
When McCalley died, the governor of New York said this about him: “Our best-loved citizen of New York City is dead. He was our best-loved citizen because he kept a light in the window and his door was always open to help those no one seemed to care about.”
There are many evil, cruel and selfish people in the world. They care only for themselves. Their brutal ways and evil deeds are almost beyond our capacity to fathom. How can a man become so evil that he beats his wife? How can a mother or father become so evil that they kill their children?
No person on this earth is so selfish and evil that he or she cannot be saved by the grace of God and become an honorable person and a good citizen. First John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Someone asked Martin Luther, “Do you feel that you have been forgiven?” Luther answered, “No, but I’m as sure as there’s a God in heaven. For feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving: my warranty is the word of God. Naught else is worth believing ... I’ll trust in God’s unchanging word till soul and body sever; for though all things shall pass away, His word shall stand forever.”
Robert V. Ozment is pastor of Beech Creek United Methodist Church.
