Another Chance
Today marks 3 years since I went to Court in handcuffs and signed my plea deal. I'll never forget the amount of joy I felt as I signed my papers. I know this sounds crazy, but it has to do with the scripture Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful". See the time I spent in jail I held onto the words of that scripture. I held onto the promise that God had made me behind those walls.
I was given the word freedom and although I was prepared to stay as long as God saw fit, I knew that one day I would be free. The reason I was so joyful that day is because I met with my lawyer the day before and she told me that the DA along with my victim’s family agreed to the counter offer we made. The DA only gave me one deal of 8 years in prison, it was either that or to go to trial. I didn't know until I spoke with the judge, but if I went to trial I would have been facing up to 30 years in prison.
Of course the devastation of my fate settled into my soul, but my relationship with Jesus helped me find peace. I was ok with doing 8 years, I knew that I would only have to do a percentage to go out on parole and at that point I had already spent 6 months in jail. It's not the best situation, but I've always found myself accustomed to my environment wherever I may go. My lawyer went to the DA with a counter offer of split confinement. I would still do 8 years but only one year in jail and the rest on probation. The DA told her that he would only be ok with that if my victims family agreed. So we set a court date for February 20th, 2019 for me to find out my fate.
I spent that month praying, reading, drawing, and trusting. I was at peace; I was truly at peace and I told God if you need me to stay I will be ok with that, but if you let me be free I won't let you down. Either way I was ready and willing to do what God needed me to do wherever I was. The days went by and I never heard from my lawyer, so I just began to assume my fate was sealed at 8 years in prison. The day before I was due to be at court, the Corrections Officer called my name for a lawyer visit. I remember feeling nervous and calm at the same time. I walked into the room and sat down, my lawyer looked at me with a huge smile and said that his family was ok with me doing my time in split confinement and my heart dropped as my eyes filled with tears. I was so happy and thankful at that moment. The gratitude that I felt was indescribable.
I just kept thanking God over and over in my head. I will never forget this moment, I will never forget the next day I went to court and signed my plea deal. I will never be able to thank his family enough for allowing me to have another chance when so many people thought I didn't deserve it. I pray for them always and God knows I carry remorse within my heart. When I walked out those doors I was determined to get my life back, I was determined to live and let God lead me. I never imagined God would have brought me to the place I am now. In just a few years God has done so much in my life, I will continue to share my story in the hopes that it will help someone. Anyone struggling in a situation that they feel they have no control over, just know you are not alone Jesus is right here with you…
