Issue 1| 2023

in this world. It had only led
to one painful, lonely, rockbottom
place after another.
In that humble posture, I
heard God’s voice. “Trust Me
anyway.”
I reached toward the small
window at the top of my cell
and surrendered to the love of
Jesus. “Okay, God. I will trust
You anyway!”
Immediately, His presence
engulfed me and the space
around me. Peace replaced
years of frustration and fear.
Love replaced hatred and
bitterness. Suddenly, unexpectedly,
I no longer felt like a
victim. It was an instantaneous
transformation of the heart.
Back in general population,
the guys immediately knew
something was different.
“What in the world happened
to you?” they asked. Just a few
days before, I’d been dealing
Ronnie began his
education behind
bars and received
his degree from
Ashland University.
Pictured here with
his Aunt Kathy and
Uncle Herb.
Ronnie and his
wife, Kaitlyn, on
their wedding day
in 2020, with Uncle
Herb and Aunt
Kathy. They have
always provided
support for Ronnie,
even at his lowest.
and stealing. Now, I wasn’t even
cussing.
The moment I died to myself
and my perception of life,
God raised me.
“Jesus happened.”
From then on, I read the Bible
daily and sought God’s will. I
was about to spend three years
in prison and—I must admit—I
was afraid. But knowing God
would be walking through those
prison doors with me brought
comfort, courage, and confidence
(Deuteronomy 31:8).
I wanted to honor the second
chance God was giving me and
do my part to better myself. If I
wasn’t willing to invest in myself,
I certainly couldn’t expect
anyone else to care.
I sensed God telling me, “If
you’ll commit yourself and do
the work, I will help you get to
where you need to be.” Now that
was a good deal!
My first commitment was
to obtain my GED. Since math
had always been a difficult
subject for me, I asked another
inmate to tutor me. Every
day after lunch, this former
doctor helped me. It wasn’t
easy preparing for the GED, as
the test had recently become
more complex. I studied for
hours daily. It’s like they say:
Nothing worth having is easy.
I scored so high on the test
that I was asked to tutor other
inmates for the GED. I couldn’t
believe it. For the first time, I
was a leader. That alone was a
testament to what God can do.
Not only had He saved my
soul, but He helped me understand
things I had struggled
with before. He was changing
me, making me a better man. I
found the confidence to pursue
a college degree from Ashland
University. They offered an
associate’s program to incarcerated
people that other universities
would accept.
I studied hard and was
amazed when I made the dean’s
list. I’d never cared to apply myself
in school, so I’d had no idea
what I could do academically.
Once released from prison, I
completed my education and
received my associate’s degree
from Ashland.
God’s Spirit continually reminded
me, “You’re worth the
work, Ronnie.”
I had never felt worthy of
anything good. Nor had I believed
I could ever be anything
other than a drug addict. But
God thought differently about
me. He didn’t see an addict or
a boy raised in poverty who’d
lost his mom and dad. He saw
a son whom He loved.
Believing I was worthy
helped me continue down this
new path. It wasn’t always easy.
There were many times, especially
after I was released from
prison, that I was tempted to
quit college and return to where
I’d been. But God kept spurring
me on. “You’re worth the work,
Ronnie! Keep pressing forward
with Me.”
After I graduated from Ashland
in 2018, I became a youth
26 Issue 01 / 2023 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM