Prison Ministry

Written by Karis...

What does one feel the first time they walk into a prison? There are many mixed feelings - and yesterday we experienced excitement, fear, nervousness, shock, thankfulness etc. We were excited and thankful about the opportunity to share with the people there but we were scared because of the risk, and nervous to perform.

What does one feel when they know inside that they are a good person, but make one crazy mistake in the heat of the moment and end up locked up for the rest of their lives? Oh no, these feelings aren't mixed at all - it's all depression, struggle, desire for freedom again.

What does one feel when they don't even know that they deserve another chance?

But what does one feel when they are told about a way of hope, of love, of light, of freedom? All are curious, many are interested, some will choose it, a few will follow it, and a couple will make it. But no matter how many people will end up in this way of love, it is our responsibility to try and show them.

Some of us tend to look at prisoners and think that it's all over for them. But that's not how Jesus did it. He saw inside. He saw their hearts. They aren't just criminals. If they are, then we all are - everyone in the human race. They are just people who made mistakes, like we all do, but theirs had bigger consequences.

Some people end up in prison because of stealing. But do we ever look at WHY they stole? Did they steal money in order to provide their starving family with food? Did they steal money in order to win the heart of the girl that they loved, who's parents only accepted "rich" guys? These are all understandable reasons to do the wrong thing, especially if they didn't know any other way, especially if they didn't know Jesus.

Some people end up in prison because of murder. But WHY did they do it? What if they made a mistake in the heat of the moment and shot a man who was abusing their mother, their sister, their wife or their daughter, in a desperate fight to protect the people they loved? They get caught and are seen as "criminals" for the rest of their lives. Or what if they were fired from their job, their wife cheated on them, they had a few drinks to try and take the pain away, then got into a car and caused an accident, when in the first place all they wanted was to numb out their pain by having a few drinks? Of course, none of these things are right, and they cause A LOT of pain and suffering for the people who are affected by them, which is why consequences like being put in prison have to take place. I am not disagreeing with prisons. Most of the consequences are just. But I ask these questions to help myself see that some of these prisoners had good or "understandable" hearts even in doing the wrong thing. They just made awful mistakes.

Some people end up in prison for sleeping with a girl under 18 years old. But what if this girl was willing to do it and even suggested it - then her parents found out and told the guy (who had NO money) to give them 80,000 baht? What if he couldn't do this, so they told the authorities that he slept with their daughter who was under 18 and he was then thrown into jail? He had never heard of God's way, so how was he supposed to refuse the offer to sleep with an attractive girl who WANTED to sleep with him?

Some people end up in prison from selling drugs. But what if this was a one-off, what if they desperately needed money for their family and they got into the wrong group and were caught?

Their punishment matches their crime, but does it match their hearts?

Jesus calls us to be compassionate (SEE their hearts) and LOVE them. Jesus also calls us to GO where they are and REACH them. And lastly, to leave the judging to Him.

The stories above are all COMMON stories in prisoners. Some are true stories from friends of mine who were lucky not to be caught and have now heard about Jesus and changed their ways. Some are true stories from my own husband or people in his family, who were also lucky not to be caught. Not many people thought they deserved another chance, but Jesus did. Not many people thought my husband deserved another chance. Now, he is a living testimony of how much a man can really give his life to God - I have never seen anyone give themselves to God like he does - which is why we want to give others a second chance, a third chance, a seventy-times-seventh chance.

Why? Because that's what Jesus has given us.