Kelly was raised in church and grew up with the head knowledge of God. She had a great life with her loving husband and children. However, everything in her life drastically changed when her husband passed away unexpectedly. Grieved and lonely from her husband’s passing, Kelly left her children and family for another man who said he loved her. She went to live with this new man in a crack neighborhood. The locals of the area referred to this neighborhood as the Devil’s Den. Being naive, gullible, trusting, and lonely, Kelly was completely out of her element. She looked around and saw a place full of hate, pain, anger, sadness, despair, and hopelessness.
While the Devil seemed very active in the Devil’s Den, Kelly learned that God was also present and active there. She prayed relentlessly for God to save her. God answered her prayers in ways she never could have imagined. In dangerous situations, Kelly could feel the arms of God wrap around her. God also opened her eyes to see her neighbors not as addicts, prostitutes and drug dealers, but as people who were scared, sad, lonely, and hopeless – people who needed God. Kelly began to share the love of God with many people in her neighborhood. Finally, with God’s strength, Kelly built up the courage to leave the Devil’s Den and return home to her children and family.
The transition home was not an easy one. It took time to regain the trust of her children and family. But over time, Kelly rebuilt the life she almost lost and realized the value of everything God had blessed her with. Today, Kelly wakes up each morning and says, “Thank you God for the blessing of this day; for sparing me another day to share with those I love. Take me and use me as you will.” Kelly chose the wrong morals, wrong crowd, wrong behavior, and the wrong man. But, she made a choice that overshadows all the bad ones: She chose God and eternity. After 50 years of Kelly’s head knowledge, she finally has heart knowledge.