Hope For First RespondersParaugs

Ambassadors of Hope

“I’m going to walk into the woods and kill myself, Chaplain.” Jay Decker was unemotional and resolved as he spoke into the phone.

As his chaplain, Kyle’s relationship with Decker brought them to this moment of trust amid crisis.

“I imagine you’re feeling overwhelmed under the weight of everything. I’m sorry.” Kyle said, “You wanna talk about it?”

A few years earlier, Officer Decker responded to a call for an infant in distress. Sadly, after performing mouth-to-mouth, he was unable to resuscitate the child. By the time EMS arrived, the baby was dead.

The incident caused Decker to spiral into an ever-increasing abyss of post-traumatic stress. First, it was nightmares and cold sweats, then insomnia and drinking.

His illness became painfully obvious to everyone at work one day when he removed his shirt in the locker room, revealing a large tattoo across his chest.

It was a tattoo of the infant’s name.

When Chaplain Kyle saw it, he knew he had to talk with Decker. Over the next few years, their relationship developed into a deep and trusted friendship. Kyle walked with Decker through his drinking problem, a divorce, promiscuity, domestic abuse, suicide attempts, and finally, the loss of his job. All the while, as an ambassador of hope, Kyle tried to live out 1 Peter 3:15 to be an ambassador of hope. He continued to point his friend to Jesus, the only person who could bring Decker truth and healing.

Now Decker had called him to say goodbye. “Life blows. I’m done, Kyle.”

“Jay, you know this isn’t the answer.”

“I can still taste that baby’s death in my mouth.”

On the other end of the phone, Kyle was silent in the wake of those powerful words.

“How do you do it, Chaplain?” Decker continued. “Where’s the hope? How are you so peaceful and—”

“Jay, do you really wanna know?”

Once Kyle convinced Decker to empty his gun and lock it up, he proceeded to share with his friend how Jesus changed his own life. Decker was finally ready to admit his desperate need for a Savior. Over the next few years, Kyle discipled his buddy and watched him grow in his new walk with God.

Decker held tight to his new faith (Hebrews 10:23) and was able to overcome alcoholism and other vices. Now, he's remarried with six kids; passionate about his relationship with God.

You don't have to be a chaplain or some other clergy to be a light in someone's hour of need. If you believe in the power of the Almighty, you are an ambassador of hope for everyone around you (2 Cor 5:20). You might never see or hear how you affected others—that's OK. Just be a tower of peace, ready to point them to God when they ask about your own source of hope.