I spoke at the high school GED graduation ceremony for some prison inmates last week. In talking with several of them, I learned that nearly all were serving 25-30 or more years. These guys weren’t “spring chickens” either, and if they end up serving all of that time, most will likely be very old men when they finally get out. They were very excited about their hard earned diplomas and when they flipped their tassels to the other side, as proud as any graduate I’ve ever seen.
I wanted to exude some hope for these guys when I spoke; however as I looked around I couldn’t help but notice that no one in the chapel was smiling, (which was packed with perhaps a couple hundred very tough looking hardened inmates).
I can almost always tell an ex-con, by the look in their eyes. Their eyes reflect the brutality that they have witnessed in life and it usually leaves them with what I refer to as “hard eyes”; a look that is generally devoid of emotion and definitely could be characterized as a “window to a tortured soul”.
Yikes! What kind of encouragement could I possibly offer to a crowd like this?
I thought of the Success Seminar workbook that I have been working on and in particular the chapter on determining God’s will for our lives. In part I wrote:
“We all yearn for an enjoyable happy life and God wants that for us too…But we shouldn’t put all our emphasis on accumulating material possessions and achieving great things that will only mean something in this fleeting life. All of that will be burned away like the morning fog when we pass on… When we consider that the decisions that we make in this lifetime not only determine how much we can enjoy our lives walking this earth, but also for all of eternity, it should be a sobering thought.”
Hmmm… I mused that the poor decisions that some of these guys have made will adversely affect their earthly lives and deprive them of any enjoyment for many years to come. Then I wondered if that is a true statement? As I listened to their praise team band playing and the singing of several soulful songs I wondered what God’s purpose for their lives might be. The Bible states we were created to accomplish God’s purpose.
In the workbook I wrote:
“We are all unique and God created us with different abilities, looks, and personalities; even the hairs on our heads are numbered and nothing was left to chance. The Bible tells us that God created us in this manner deliberately in order that we would have everything that we need in order for us to accomplish His purpose for our lives. Yes, you heard right. We were all, (including these prisoners), created to serve God’s purpose, and we are already totally equipped with the proper intellect and all of the necessary abilities that we need to accomplish His purpose for creating us.”
Hmmm…More deep thinking… Can what I wrote in my Success workbook apply to these guys? Can they know peace, joy, and love in this life and forever regardless of their harsh circumstance?
Check out the next paragraph in the workbook:
“Determining God’s purpose for our lives is of the utmost importance, because if we go against God’s will for us and seek our own ambitions, then we will no doubt remain frustrated and unhappy, because He will not bless our endeavors. On the other hand if we get in sync with God, we can enjoy His blessings and therein the full extent of His peace, joy, and love.”
Bingo! These guys simply need to find God’s purpose for their lives and get in synch with it, even if it’s in the joint.
I also wrote:
“When goal setting I like to think on two levels:
- Long term: beyond this life and throughout eternity
- Short term: whatever remains for the rest of my life on this earth.
It doesn’t get any longer term than eternity; a dimension where time is lost forever, and even trillions of years don’t amount to so much as a comma. On the other hand life on this earth, (at best), might reach a paltry 100 years, indeed the current average life span is just 77.9 years.
Most of us focus on this tiny vapor of life and the material things and comforts that we enjoy therein, but remember that eternity lasts forever and is the real prize upon which we should concentrate. Always remember that God wants us to be successful and enjoy life and I’m sure He doesn’t want anyone to fail. I set goals for this life and the next with that in mind and it exudes confidence and offers me hope.”
That my friends sounds like hope for all of the world. I think the words written in my Success workbook apply to these inmates and to all of us. Don’t get too hung up on the here and now and our current trials and tribulations. Concentrate on knowing God’s peace, joy, and love.
God doesn’t look at our lives in their current state, but what we can be with Him in our lives. He doesn’t see a convict, but a soul winning saint. He doesn’t see us struggling with sin, doubt, or worry; He sees a confident, soul winning, faithful servant trying the best they know how to live life as they should. God looks at what we can be! He is always willing to forgive and forget, bless and save, provided we will surrender to Him and follow Him.
Focus on forever…
Matt. 6:19
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal”.