Love covers a multitude of sins
One of our sisters – a single mom [I’ll call her J] is going into the county jail today to serve a 45 day sentence. It is a traffic related offense and in my mind the whole “doing time” thing screams “are you kidding me” but in any case, I have been thinking about her and this morning I found myself praying for her and her little girl who will be staying with her godmother while she is locked up. And of course, of course, of course…I have been thinking one more time about the Kingdom of God and how the King will be taking care of J even though she is going to be in a hell hole for a month and a half.
And in my prayer time for J, I believe it was the HS who took my mind to a conversation I had just last Friday afternoon with another one of our sisters [I’ll call her M] who has been in prison for a couple of years in the Michigan system. M told me that her new roommate [I’ll call her A] who has been so deeply wounded in her life and who has developed an incredibly hard shell around her and who is known, even in prison, for her anger and belligerence…is literally changing before her very eyes. She is getting softer…kinder…gentler…more tender with herself and with others. M told me that this wounded sister gets email from some brothers and sisters in Christ outside the walls and finds herself reading the words of encouragement and comfort and then crying, unable to hold back the tears. The other day she walked into their room and said, “M, what’s happening to me?” In fact, A’s former roommate sat down with M the other day and said, “I don’t’ know what you or your friends on the outside are doing with A but she’s not even the same person anymore! It’s some kind of miracle!”
And right then – in the prison visiting room while M was telling me this story – my mind went to I Peter 4:8: “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” And in that moment, I knew that J would be alright. I knew that the Father’s love would be able to transcend and permeate and overcome and cover up even the mess that is in the county jail. Or for that matter, the Michigan prison system. Or all the oppressive political regimes that have ever been. Or our incredibly dysfunctional and wounding families. Or our painful, debilitating illnesses. Or even all of our disappointed, tired, fleshly hearts. This love – the love of Jesus Christ – is the most powerful healing force in the universe. It is the only light in the darkness. And the darkness cannot overcome it…not in J’s life, in M’s life, in A’s life, in your life or my life…not today…not tomorrow…not ever.
My brother…thank you for always pointing us toward the light of Christ and reminding us of His deep and never ending love for us, even when we see darkness and despair all around. Thank you for encouraging us to freely give what has already been given to us so that others may know there is more excellent way…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has appointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus in Luke chapter 4.
Today as I was studying this passage – Jesus reading from Isaiah 61 – I was thinking about the prisons that we place ourselves in. We do not need to be behind bars to be imprisoned. How often do we allow our past mistakes, our wounds, our disappointments or the lies we believe about ourselves prevent us from walking in the freedom Christ so graciously gave us by His sacrifice…..?
The Jesus who read this passage in Luke is the same Jesus who is waiting to set us free – it is time to open the prison doors – Jesus has already unlocked them! The prison of fear, the prison of shame, the prison of unforgiveness. We do not need to stay there – we can have beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a beautiful garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. We can grow up into strong, mature oaks with branches lifted high in confident praise to our Creator.
I will be praying for our dear sisters who are locked up – and also for those of us who are afraid to step out of our self-made prisons into His beautiful freedom and light.