Last month I volunteered at a “Galentine’s” party held at one of the women’s detention centers on Rikers Island. I was there with staff from the Osborne Association, Incarnation’s partner in mission serving families affected by the criminal justice system. Through Osborne, I provide pastoral care as an interfaith chaplain to people incarcerated at Rikers. For the party, however, I was tasked with moving chairs, blowing up heart-shaped balloons, and giving out art supplies at the “Affirmation Station” – a table with a few different activities and crafts aimed at self-love and female empowerment. The party was organized by the Department of Corrections, and I have to say it was a festive and well-received event. Rikers Island is a problematic place with a negative reputation, but good things happen there too.
While I was handing out worksheets that involved writing notes on images of candied hearts, a woman – we’ll call her Teresa – approached me with a big smile and introduced herself. Before I could respond, she announced that she was enrolled in a program designed to help incarcerated individuals with substance abuse problems. Teresa said she was making great strides and that the program was helping her heal and grow.
How refreshing! I thought. I was surprised and delighted that Teresa led with such a vulnerable and inspiring statement. She opened up quickly about the story behind her incarceration, and then she asked me to pray for her when I shared that I was a Christian minister.
“Lots of people find Jesus in jail, but then it doesn’t stick when they get out. Pray that it sticks for me.”
The sentiment made sense. You don’t have to be in jail to understand the downside of “jailhouse religion” – becoming a fervent Christian behind bars and then letting that fervency slip away.
No matter our specific life circumstances, we turn to God in times of dire need. We may have a “come to Jesus” moment or a felt experience of God’s love born of sorrow and repentance. We might even commit or re-commit to following Jesus if given the time to deeply reflect on the state of our lives. But then the crisis fades and God fades from our minds. That’s the human tendency anyway.
Yet plenty of people who find jailhouse religion nurture their faith into genuine life transformation. That was my prayer for Teresa. And it was grounded in the depths of God’s all-encompassing love for her.
I asked Teresa if she’d ever been romantically interested in someone who only wanted sex with no strings attached. The answer was “yes” of course. No-strings-attached sex is a common desire and common occurrence in our society.
“God is the opposite,” I told her. “God wants the strings. God wants all of you. And God won’t settle for anything less.”
Please pray that Teresa knows the fierceness of God’s love this day. I pray that you know it too. It is the only way that we’ll keep the faith in the One who gave all of himself for us.
Adrian+