Breaking In To Their Prisons

Breaking In to Their Prisons

Still another stranger is the one behind the walls of a prison.

Chances are, these men and women have hurt many people—and are usually also victims of abuse and addiction. They’re trapped in an endless cycle of bondage. And most people have given up on them.

But there are other prisoners: the elderly, in nursing homes or suffering at home alone, wishing anyone would call; children stuck in foster care, longing for love and stability; or those trapped in depression or chronic illness, assuming their trial is theirs alone to bear.

For you to help, you’ll have to enter the walls of their prison. Again, this may fill you with fear and inadequacy, but just as with the homeless or poor, simply showing genuine concern is 90 percent of what they need from you.

Prisons are not always man-made walls; sometimes they are the walls of the heart. You may be the one who releases a heart from the bondage of suffering alone.

“I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” —Matthew 25:36