An Act of Kindness

Let brotherly love continue.
Hebrews 13:1

​One many think that a maximum security prison would not be a place where there can be expressions of genuine love, kindness and compassion among the inmates, but they'd be wrong...

Yes, prisons can be places of horrific violence and high levels of hate. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there will exist the liberty for charitable love to be demonstrated.

Yesterday I saw an example of this. It was during the Wednesday evening Bible study in the chapel. I happened to sit next to Salas, a man of 29; he's illiterate. Yet he's determined to learn how to read. Actually his reading level may be at only a first or second grade range, which is tragic. Salas has a severe learning disability.

Nevertheless, as we sat next to each other I noticed that Salas seemed overly happy. So I asked him what was up. He abruptly turned to me and, grinning from ear to ear, held up a beautiful hardcover children's Bible. Then before I could utter a word, Salas quickly blurted out that "brother Philip," one of the inmates in our fellowship group, purchased the Bible for him as a gift. I noticed, too, that it said it's for ages 4 to 7 on the cover. I was happy for him.

It touched me how that Philip, of his own volition and because he cares about Salas, would spend his own funds by ordering the book from a Christian book catalog so that Salas could perhaps now get a better understanding of the Scriptures.
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I was inspired when I observed this example of how one prisoner showed kindness to another man, and to a man who could not repay him. Christ, I believe, has indeed made the little church fellowship here at Sullivan Correctional Facility into a closely knit body. He has made us into a diverse yet united family who lived by faith while walking in brotherly love.

D.B.

Note: Salas is not his real name, but Philip's name is not fictitious.