Smoke n Hearts

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Kayla is a single mom of two.


She has a history of victory, from sorrow and hurt and sin and pain.


She has been forgiven much, and she loves much.


She has an enthusiasm for life, now that she’s found LIFE.


She posts things on face book like:


By GRACE Im FREE. YOU rescued ME!! I found a LOVE GREATER then LIFE in itself. I found a HOPE STRONGER and NOTHING compares. I once was LOST but now Im ALIVE and FOUND in YOU, JESUS!! ♥


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I'm sitting on the couch reading a book with Damarius when all of a sudden he gets off on to the floor & puts his hands in the air and says "Jesus, come here because we love you and need you, mommy tell Jesus to come" Woowww I'm at a loss for words.



And recently she posted something like this:



Yeah! All the Smoke Shops are closing down. I pray this is the beginning of the Lord doing a great work…and next the porn shops and bars will close.



Several dozen comments followed. Kayla was called a hypocrite for speaking out—when she herself was an unwed mother of two; when she herself once supported all sorts of evil; when she was once was the chief of sinners. “Don’t preach to us, when you used to do the same things,” they said.


But, then there were those—who know her now, for the person she has become—who came to her rescue. Encouragers lined up shoulder to shoulder surrounding Kayla with love. And there were those, who thought they were helping, by slashing out with cutting words toward the main antagonist, Alice.


Kayla replied with love. And when it was all over, and everything had settled, she showed grace, Amazing Grace. If you go to her face book page you’ll see—it’s gone. With character and wisdom beyond her years, she erased it all, not willing to air another’s sin for all to see. She wiped it clean, like the sins of her past; ready to start fresh and new—a clean slate.


Kayla wasn’t preaching Kayla. If she had, well, then she’d be in for a fall. But she was cheering for Jesus—in her own, blond, enthusiastic way.


As it turned out the biggest antagonist, was also with child—a soon to be single mom—an old acquaintance, who knew the BC Kayla. (BC = Before Christ ~or~ bad child ;). And, Kayla’s information may have been incorrect, the places she spoke of, may not be shutting down after all. Maybe it was a big misunderstanding—but then, maybe not. And maybe the issue had nothing to do with closing doors—but everything to do with opening hearts.


The best way to shut down bad joints is by the opening of bad hearts. You can’t clean a fish before you catch it. The real issue is a heart issue. You can build a fence, but if you don’t corral the bull that’s running through it—your efforts are in vain. Corral the heart first, and action will follow.


My hero did that. His cousin was in prison for speaking against a political leader, in the Middle East, because he married a woman, who was already married—his brother’s wife of all things. Eventually, His cousin was silenced—they took off his head. My Hero didn’t picket the palace where the leader lived. He didn’t start a petition. He attacked.


Jesus went to be alone, after hearing that Herod had killed his cousin, John the Baptist. He gathered His strength through prayer. And then, He launched an attack against the real enemy by healing, delivering, feeding, loving…doing good.


And no one has much to say about Herod these days, he died, his palace closed and crumbled.


But, Jesus lives on. More books are written, more sermons are preached and more songs are sung about this one Man, Jesus. In all of the history of mankind, no one has ever made a difference like my hero, my daughter’s best friend, her Lord and Savior, Jesus.


Alice, this Jesus Kayla is so excited about, knows where you’re coming from. He doesn’t care too much about a smoke shop closing, either. He knows, it’s all going up in smoke eventually, anyway. But He does care for you—and your baby. More than life itself He cares. He died, so you can live—really live. That’s what Kayla’s so excited about; she has finally found out how to live, really live. And she can’t help but share—it just bubbles out of her like that.


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Kayla, as your dad, I’m proud of you, Bug, and I love you, more importantly, your Father is and does, too.


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Won by ONE. That’s how it’s done.


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(note: for privacy, Alice is not the person’s real name)


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