I had the blessing of performing with our college drama ministry, Act 2, at a women's prison this evening. To be honest, I did not think of it as a blessing when I first heard of the event. I was scared, nervous, and wanting to back out. The strange thing was that I didn't quite understand why I was scared. At first I kind of thought that it was because prison is a scary place and so the people in it must all be scary. But really, that would be a lot more convenient for me. It would be more comfortable for me if the prisoners were all horrible, scary, and rude people. It would have been more comfortable for me if they didn't have kids, grandkids, or parents who loved them. It would have been more comfortable for me if they weren't people just like me. Because honestly, that could be any of us. If we were caught up in the wrong situation, hung out with the wrong crowd of friends, were born into different families. That could just as easily be us.
I shared my testimony and how I had to come to the realization that God doesn't just want us to believe in Him or have a knowledge of Him. He wants to begin a relationship with Him and fall deeply in love with Him. I also shared about my brother, David, and how his past drug addiction affected my life and my families life. I shared how just last week was his mark for being three years sober. The inmates cheered for my brother's miracle. I shared how God let me witness that miracle and how it proved to me that God's promises are true. I urged them to hold on to the promises that God gives us in the Bible. I was crying, willing them to trust those promises and take hope in the Christ who conquered the grave for them. FOR THEM! Prisoners! People who did horrible things. Yet, I felt overwhelmingly sorry for them. My heart broke for them.
We got to line up and if any of the inmates wanted prayer, they could walk up (not touch us of course) and we could pray for them. The first woman who came to me was an elderly black woman. With tears of joy mixed with sorrow, she told me about her grandson that was just born and how she yearned to meet him. The second woman was a girl who seemed to be around my age. She told me how much my testimony touched her because she had a brother who had gone through the same stuff, but he ended up killing himself. The third woman looked to be in her early 30s and she expressed that she just could not forgive herself for what she had done. I begged my Father God to give these beautiful women peace. I prayed that He would bring forgiveness into their lives. I prayed that God would make them see their worth and identity in Him. That they would see that they are beautiful, forgiven, holy, and righteous by the blood of the lamb.
Everything in me wanted to reach out and hug these broken and beautiful women who stood before me. My heart was so torn for them and my compassion was overwhelming. Then I thought, this must be close to how God feels about us. We earned our sentence. We earned our punishment, yet the Savior's compassion is overwhelming and He just longs to hold us in His arms and give us peace, forgiveness, and love. This is how my Savior feels towards me.
I will never forget these beautiful women and how they taught me more about Christ's love than any preacher ever has before.
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