Prisoner...But Free

As a prisoner

All rights as a citizen 

No longer apply

As a prisoner

Any dreams for the future

No longer matter

As a prisoner

All cravings and addictions

Cannot be indulged

As a prisoner

Favorite activities

May not be enjoyed

As a prisoner

Choices and variety

No longer exist

I know prisoners

Who today have hope in Christ

Chains of sin broken

I know prisoners

Whose guilt, remorse, and regret

No longer bind them

I know prisoners
Whose faith has cleared their record

Truth has set them free

I know prisoners
Blameless, righteous, forgiven
No longer guilty

I just spent two days alongside men who have committed gruesome crimes. They have been stripped of every right and privilege they had as a citizen. Yet, they are more free than many who are not confined to prison, because they have experienced the forgiveness and healing that comes through Jesus Christ. They have hope that even though their lives on earth will be spent inside a maximum security prison, it is not their end. They have joy in knowing that they can have (and have had) an impact on the "outside" world through what they're learning and pursuing inside prison walls. They are speaking Truth into their children's lives, stopping the generational cycle of crime one child at a time. They are sharing the hope they have with other prisoners whose lives are being changed. For two days, I shared tears of joy and pain with my brothers. For one day, I watched men be dads, uncles, grandpas to the children they love. For life, I will be forever changed.