Inside a Prison
Over the weekend, I had the honor and privilege of going into my local county jail and share the gospel with the female inmates. The ministry that sponsors this is called Residents Encounter Christ or REC for short. I have worked a REC several times in the past, but had not been available to serve for quite some time, so I was excited to return to those cinder block walls.
That may seem like an odd statement to some, but there is a special atmosphere that emanates from our tiny chapel where we gather as we connect with those whom most would consider undesirable, dangerous and unwanted.
I will never forget my very first trip inside the jail some years past. With a mixture of nervous excitement, my mind raced at what I could possibly offer these women. My only interaction with law enforcement had came from the occasional speeding violation, so I was walking in unfamiliar territory for certain.
Stepping into the lobby, preparing to travel beyond those heavy, large sliding metal doors, my senses took in everything around me. There is a distinct smell that hits you when you first enter the front doors, an odor you never encounter anywhere else and will never forget. You are greeted with bulletproof glass at the check-in desk, with only a small cutout to pass paperwork back and forth. I understood the phrase “prison grey” in an instant, as the mood matched the wall color.
The sound of electronic, metal latches opening the steel, sliding door is something you keep with you in your mind. I’m sure you know the sound, as you can hear it on any TV police drama you’ve ever watched, but there is something different about having that ring through you eardrums in real life. It is a cold and unforgiving noise that whispers despair.
Walking through the hallways, we were instructed to remain silent and stay single file. I was caught off guard while passing a door with a man’s face plastered to the tiny window, his gaze burning holes through us. I would later learn that was a solitary confinement room. We reached a small court yard with a wire mesh ceiling and just on the other side was the chapel.
As we waited for the ladies to enter, my excitement and nervousness grew. Finally they began to file in, a line of yellow jumpsuits with faces looking just as anxious as I felt. This was it.
I quickly discovered something that day while speaking with those women, hearing their stories and taking in all the different personalities. They were no different than myself. Yes, they chose to walk a path I did not. Yes, they opted to defy the laws of the state on a more serious level than just speeding. Yes, they lived behind bars, ate really crappy food and was told what to do from the moment they woke up, to the time they laid their head down. Dear friends, it was only by the grace of God my life did not end in a tiny cell with a cot and before you think that could never happen to me- you better recognize the same grace over your life.
Listening to those beautiful ladies who were mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and grandmothers, made me understand all the more our need for a Savior. The common thread which intertwined our lives was sin; sin which left each one of us broken, insecure, depressed, isolated, angry, disgusted, hateful, and every other negative emotion you could conjure in your mind. Sinners everyone of us, in desperate need of a Savior.
The faces may have been different this time going into that jail, but the longing for hope was not. The pleading desire to believe they mattered, were not forgotten and could be used again one day, remained the same. No, I am no different than the brokenness I witnessed within those walls. Lord help us when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. (Romans 12:3)
Working in ministry over the years, in several different capacities, I have discovered one thing to be true. Prisons come in many different shapes, types and sizes. The majority of citizens will live unscathed and unknowing, such as myself, as to what the inside of a jail looks like, but that does not mean they are walking free.
There is the prison of pride which drives you to perfection and refuses to confess your shortcomings.
The bars of insecurity that keep you performing like a circus clown to please the masses.
Chains of anger that bind your heart and build thick walls for protection.
Deep, cold, concrete cells that hold lust, anxiety, depression, loneliness, fear, doubt, and so much more.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18, words of Jesus)
What has you bound today dear friends? Take off your rose colored glasses and examine your life in full, color. I bet you can find some “prison grey” within your world somewhere. If so, allow me to put you in contact with the Master Painter. The skill of His brush strokes is unmatched and the outcome will be unlike any masterpiece you have ever seen.
Allow Him to enter into your prison yard and repaint those drab walls with vibrant colors that stimulate the senses. He will create a piece of artwork that will cause awe among those whom you meet, especially the ones who saw the bland walls before the renovation.
The freedom you find when you surrender your life to Christ Jesus, is something this world can never take from you. Some of those women within the jail are freer than most of the people walking around the streets today, maybe even freer than some of you reading this post.
Christ offers peace and hope, washes away shame and guilt and gives life eternal to all who believe. All of these things total to equal a person no longer bound by any restraints, praise be to God! If you desire to have your prison door flung wide open, call upon His name today… He holds the key.
