Incarcerated Yet Free

The downward spiral of my life began my freshman year in high school. This is when I first began “experimenting” with drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. Soon I was turning “partying” into a competition. I always wanted to take the biggest tokes and be able to drink the most.
This lifestyle continued all throughout high school. My drug use progressed to LSD, mushrooms, and methamphetamines. I had become lost in the world of addiction and in a completely warped belief system. I couldn’t hold down a job for more than a few months. I began getting tired of living off my homeboy and his mom. So, at the age of 19, I decided to join the Marines.
Seven months into my service with the Marines, while on leave, I committed the crime of second degree murder at a house party. I had become a murderer. As I sat in the county jail facing murder charges, I began wondering how in the world I had gotten to this point.
I felt absolutely horrible, saddened, and afraid by my actions and the consequences of them. Many lives were destroyed by my actions. As I sat in the county jail, I began doing some “soul searching.” It was at this time God began whispering in my ear that He could restore my life and give me what I truly needed.
I began seeking God by reading His Word (the Holy Bible), and praying to Him. The more I did this, the more He began revealing Himself to me. It was truly amazing! As I got real with God, God got real with me. As the supernatural power of God started being revealed to me, I began seeking God with all of my heart and with every fiber of my being. At this time, I made the commitment from my heart to believe in Jesus Christ’s atoning blood.
I can honestly say that as I write, these 18 years later still incarcerated for my crime, God has been so good to me. It has been a long road traveled with many twists and turns; and through every single second of it, God has been right there with me. He has proved His faithfulness in the most amazing ways.
Today, I stand in complete awe of God. He is 100% real, living, and actively moving in many, many believer’s lives. As I sit in prison, I sit here happier than I have ever been in my entire life because of what God has done in my life. This real happiness comes from the peace, joy, and love that I feel in my heart for knowing God personally and intimately.
I have been sober for eight years and that is nothing short of a miracle. Nowadays, I put God first in my life. Everywhere I go, He goes with me. I include Jesus in everything I do. I have complete peace in my heart and life because I know that no matter what happens in my life, God will see me through it. He always has. God is so good!

Gregory Olson