Last evening I was part of two back-to-back jail ministry services at our local Stark County Jail working with two great men from my son's church. Both services went especially well and the Holy Spirit was abundant in His presence. Two specific things happened last evening that I took to bed with me in my exhaustion and have awakened this morning with both events still churning in my mind.
Event one was played out in the lobby / front entrance to the jail before entering the security check point. It was an especially active place when I arrived. The event that hit me very hard was in watching this African American family, I guess they were a family, but two ladies and a man in their thirties I would assume. And with them was this precious about two year old little girl. Others in the lobby area were men and their girl friends waiting to go into the jail for warrant violations but it seems, generally, everyone in the lobby was loud and angry and bickering about various things. The culture of the lobby was dank and depressing as I was trying to prepare my mind and heart for the worship services to come. But then there was the precious two year old little girl.
I was captivated by her as the laughed loudly, strolled the lobby with reckless abandon, engaged everyone there but there were no takers for they were absorbed in their own puddle of anger and I realized they were all angry at each other. This little girl came running to me as I entered the glass doors smiling widely and gave me a "rock" with her hand; precious. As the next fifteen minutes unfolded, I became angry in watching the two family members of the child blatantly hand slapping her in the mouth, across the face and later the back of her head sending her flying across the floor. Each time this child popped back up like nothing happened and reignited the culture of darkness abounding in that lobby. In a flash I realized the power of light when it is brought into darkness for the darkness is melted and the light controls the darkness. I yearned to hold that child because of what I saw but also because of seeing the tons of love our Ms. Hope is now so used to and how loving she can be, just like that little ray of light in the darkness of Stark County Jail. Jesus was the light that entered this dark world and that came back to blaringly to me in watching this child be physically abused and verbally attacked.
The second event was in the second service last night when a nice looking African American young man that had attended previous chapel services was especially attentive the entire service with tears flowing during the singing and responded to the call / invitation for salvation at the end of the service. He asked to speak with me when the service was over in that two minutes before the deputies returned the inmates to their cells. As I sat with him he began to pour his heart out through tears and what he told me was that he had just be sentenced to 6 - 25 years prison time and was leaving this morning to begin that process. He was devastated.
Mind you I am not denying nor justifying he wrong he did was robbery and aggravated physical hurt inflicted on someone; he deserves the consequences for those acts and he readily admits that. But here is yet another case of a young twenty something young man, broken home, life of having to survive gangs, no job, no family, poor choice of friends, etc, etc. I hear it and see it so much that it is easy to grow ambivalent to it but it is very real and the long term implication on our culture is very concerning. This young man gave his heart to a loving God last evening and he was thrilled about having made that decision. I encouraged him to link up with the prison chaplain and that I would be writing him to encourage him at times.
Light in the dark -- That precious little girl
Dark lifted by the Light -- That is priceless in that young man
I was reminded all over again in why jail ministry continues to draw me to it and it is always so humbling and such a blessing.
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