Valentine's Day?

On this Lord's Day which also happens to be Valentine's Day, I would like to share some images with you from the National Geographic special, "Hard Time" featuring Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, GA. Even though Valentine's Day is cheesy, on a day like today I am reminded that I am loved by my family and beloved as a Child of God. What do these images say about love and identity for the men at GA Diagnostic and Classification?

When we visited Jackson last week, I noticed that many of the prisoners had tattoos, like this man pictured above. After thinking about this (and other things related to our visit all week), I have come to the conclusion that if I was in prison, I would probably have and/or want tattoos also. Tattoos are really the only way to maintin any sense of identity in the prison system. Many people have names of their family members, connections to home, religious symbols, etc. tattooed on their bodies. One piece of my identity I would have a difficult time giving up in the prison system would be my wedding band. It reminds me of the love I share with my spouse and it is a symbol of my devotion to my marriage. If I was in the situation of many of these prisoners, I would desire to have a tattoo representing my marriage or love for my family, too. On a similar note, in my house we have a sign above the front door that says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24: 15) This sign reminds me of my devotion to the Lord and serves as a proclamation of my faith. If I was imprisoned, I would not be able to have a sign like this in my cell. Therefore, I would probably desire some way to symbolize my devotion to faith in God.

We met the guard "welcoming" these prisoners to Jackson when we visited last week.  He was a friendly man and discussed with us the realities of his job, welcoming approximately 100 new prisoners to Jackson each day.  For many of these men, said the guard, this moment is a moment of realization.  No longer is there hope that prison won't come...prison is a reality.  At this point, these men have already received their sentences.  This picture makes me think of how we welcome people of all backgrounds to the church.  These men being "welcomed" to Jackson are considered by most to be criminals, animals, the scum of society...sinners.  Do we welcome sinners of all backgrounds to the church in love?  Aren't we all equally sinners in the eyes of God?  If God can love me, sinner that I am, God can love these men, too. 

The first time I am able to look an inmate from Jackson in the eye is in a photograph.  Is not this the face of a child of God, a child whom God loves?  Shouldn't we follow in God's footsteps and look all of God's children in the eye with love in our hearts? 

I wonder as I look at this picture, how can love be present in a cold place like this?  Believe me, when you enter this place, you feel like the love is sucked out. 

Regardless of my feelings, I have hope and confidence that our God can get through the barbed wire and love even in the cold environment of a prison.

Afterall...

“The world takes us to a silver screen where flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch, the world says, ‘This is love.’ God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs, and says, ‘This is love.’” ~Max Lucado


*Images taken from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/hard-time/all/Photos#tab-Photos/0