I'm looking at my own family and thinking how little I thought about a great uncle who was incarcerated. Until recently I did not feel he had much weight in our family, contributing little besides three beautiful daughters. But I have become more aware of the suffering his choices caused for his daughters, his mother, the mother of his children, each of whom bless my life. I think I am saddest of all because he never seems to have made any effort to heal those wounds and his life seemed to slide into ever increasing circles of his self-will running riot to end in his violent death. Since it seems possible that it was rooted in the broad lawlessness of Prohibition and unchecked political corruption and that time seems similar to these times, it seems a cautionary tale.
I'm so grateful for the men and women who are called to minister to the young people, women and men who are in jails and prisons across this country. There are some terrific programs that help these people heal and people who are working to empower them to return to their communities able to lead productive and useful lives. These folks help them conceive of a life where they are a blessing and an asset to their families. They offer daily living skills classes from basic literacy to GEDs, parenting to financial literacy, and job skills from horticulture to dog training.
But most important of all, folks reach out to remind them of their place in the world as a forgiven child of God. They introduce or reintroduce them to the God who created them, loves them and longs to heal them, coach them, forgive them, rehabilitate and renew them. God wants them to understand this basic fact: they are valuable, important and able. God has a plan for them that they might live the life they were created for, doing the good that they were created to do.
As dark as things seem, God is greater than the problems we face, even when we helped create them ourselves. God does not ever give up on us. God always knows exactly what we need, even when we have not a clue.
What is on your heart? Won't you speak with God today? He is waiting and He has good news.
I'm so grateful for the men and women who are called to minister to the young people, women and men who are in jails and prisons across this country. There are some terrific programs that help these people heal and people who are working to empower them to return to their communities able to lead productive and useful lives. These folks help them conceive of a life where they are a blessing and an asset to their families. They offer daily living skills classes from basic literacy to GEDs, parenting to financial literacy, and job skills from horticulture to dog training.
But most important of all, folks reach out to remind them of their place in the world as a forgiven child of God. They introduce or reintroduce them to the God who created them, loves them and longs to heal them, coach them, forgive them, rehabilitate and renew them. God wants them to understand this basic fact: they are valuable, important and able. God has a plan for them that they might live the life they were created for, doing the good that they were created to do.
As dark as things seem, God is greater than the problems we face, even when we helped create them ourselves. God does not ever give up on us. God always knows exactly what we need, even when we have not a clue.
What is on your heart? Won't you speak with God today? He is waiting and He has good news.
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