Wasted

Earlier today I had the opportunity to talk to and pray with the man who was crying on my shoulder during yesterday afternoon's special recreation period...

He still never told me what he was crying about. This is perfectly okay. I don't need to know. But now he seems to be doing much better, and for this I am glad.
 
Nevertheless, many men and women who are incarcerated carry so much grief and pain in their hearts. It is easy to get inundated and overwhelmed with the sad stories these people can tell.
 
Many of them carry tremendous amounts of guilt because of their crimes. Many prisoners miss their families and they're homesick. Still others may be crying for themselves as each of them eventually awakens to the realization that they wrecked their lives. They know too, that more than likely, the damage each of them did to themselves and others cannot be undone.
 
Yet with all the pain and tragedy that is in this place, every prison is really a wide-open mission field. Jesus Christ is the Great Physician. He is here to fix broken lives and to heal physical and emotional wounds. And He did not come to this earth to call the self-righteous. Instead, He came to save sinners; I am one of them.
 
D. B.