Getting what we don't deserve

It really seemed as if he had gotten away with it.  For almost forty years Clarence Moore had lived as a free man after escaping from a North Carolina prison where he was serving an eleven year sentence for larceny. But last week the sixty-six year old fugitive voluntarily turned himself in.  It seems that while Moore wasn’t that great of a criminal, he was put in prison several times but he was pretty good at escaping. His third & last escape happened in 1976.

Was it a change in heart, a sudden desire to do the right thing that caused Moore to surrender to the authorities in Kentucky where he had lived for the past six years under an assumed name?  Nothing so noble.

The reason he finally gave up his life as a fugitive was based on economics and for the free medical care in prison.  Mr. Moore had suffered a stroke that left him partly paralyzed and was unable to obtain adequate medical care without a valid social security number.  He’s hoping North Carolina will welcome back its prodigal son.

And that is what grace is for the Christian; the point that we recognized our need for help and surrendered ourselves in order to receive what we can’t obtain on our own. 

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.