Prison...a different kind of molding

Isaac (top middle...smiling) and Kelvin (above) are normal guys with sadly common lives. Isaac was in the Ugandan army, had some personal problems he wanted to sort out, took leave to sort those problems, and didn't go back. He got caught eventually and was imprisoned for desertion...he got two years.

Kelvin had the usual family problems growing up...alcoholic parents, lots of fighting in the home, no sense of stability or love. His parents took the money that would have paid his school fees and his school uniform and spent it on alcohol. The neighbors mocked him. The rejection burned inside and set down roots. Not surprisingly, he also became an alcoholic and drug user. He was imprisoned for possession with intent to sell...3 years.

I met these two guys when I joined an on-going prison ministry. Every week we'd go and teach from God's Word and try to encourage the prisoners. Then we started an Alpha Course. Isaac and Kelvin were among the students. God touched their hearts and they gave their lives to Christ. The change in them is amazing...it's like watching the caterpillar transform into a butterfly. Now they are leaders within the prison over their fellow inmates, and God is shaping them.

I don't pretend to understand what they go through in prison. Just yesterday Kelvin was asking if we could help them with laundry soap, as the prices have gone so high they can't afford to buy it anymore. The guys have to get their own soap for bathing and washing clothes...it's not provided by the prison. And they want to be clean. They may be prisoners but they're not animals. They still have their dignity.

I'm a wimp when it comes to my molding sessions with God...as soon as the fire gets hot I get all depressed and frustrated and discouraged with my lack of maturity. I can't imagine how I'd cope in Isaac and Kelvin's shoes. Watching them struggle to persevere and keep a positive attitude has challenged me a lot. How do I respond in the face of hardship? opposition? sickness? They are confined...I am not, but sometimes I think I confine myself with my own negative thinking.

What is the key to freedom? Giving it all to Jesus...all of it. Every day placing my burdens before Him again and again and saying, "I don't want to carry anything other than the yoke I share with You." He knows how much I can handle, and He knows where He wants to take me. When I just let go of the reins and hold His hands, instead....I experience that freedom...not a sense of nothingness, but a sense of being carried and cared for by a deeply loving Father. It frees me to be who He made me to be. And that's what I long for...just to be close to my Dad and live to please Him.