You were once darkness,
but now you are light.
—Ephesians 5:8
Clyde Thompson was dubbed “The Meanest Man in Texas.”
He was convicted of four murders—two that put him in prison and two while behind bars. At age nineteen Clyde was sentenced to die, the youngest person ever to receive the death penalty in Texas up to that time.
Seven hours before his scheduled execution the governor commuted his sentence to life—his first of four narrow escapes from the electric chair.
While in solitary confinement, Clyde began reading the Bible. However skeptical we may be of “jailhouse conversions,” he changed.
In 1951 he received a conditional pardon and was released from prison. He spent the remainder of his life speaking in schools and churches, influencing many young people on the brink of going wrong to go right.
Never give up on people, for people can—and often do—change.
A fresh start is always possible.
You’ll find it listed under “Grace.”