Coffee & Conversation: Freedom

June 19 is now known as a federal holiday called Juneteenth. This holiday is a time to reflect and celebrate the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, taking control of the state and ensuring that all enslaved people were freed. The arrival of the troops came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday (source: https://www.history.com/news/ what-is-juneteenth). Although there is no comparison to the experiences of those who endured slavery, I am reminded of the goodness of God and how easily we too can find ourselves in slavery of sin and flesh. And just as freedom was found from the Emancipation Proclamation, we too can find freedom in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” It is no secret that we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God. One man’s sin is no greater than another’s sin. When our men in the Jobs of Hope program fall and become enslaved to addiction, gang affiliation, broken relationships, selfpreservation, crime, and more, we as staff, volunteers, board members, and supporters, offer ourselves up to the Lord for him to use and work through us to help our men find freedom! Ten years ago, when I found my own freedom, I discovered a calling in my life that showed me that my purpose on this earth was to serve others. I think many of us are called to do the same thing. We are most useful to God when we allow him to make good of our notso-great experiences to the benefit of others. Like Luke 4:18 says, “The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” We at Jobs of Hope work hard to assist our men in finding their own personal freedom, however that may look for them. Using God’s Word, his direction, and his principles, we offer a safe place for the men of our program to restore themselves after prison, to find true meaning through sight of the truth, to step out of oppression and rise above their past, and to proclaim victory in a new way of living!

-Opal Hatfield, Jobs of Hope Case Manager