“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.” Psalm 146:7 NIV

I have a nephew who resides in the federal prison system. He is known only by his number, 88170. He is guilty of a crime that warranted prison, where he has been for about 15 years. If his crime had been committed in our bordering states, he would be coming up on a release date. In Kansas, he is around half-way through his time there. Scott choose his actions, he did not get to choose his consequences.

He admits his guilt, that is not in question. That’s not why I am writing this. His journey is what I want to explore. We have corresponded by letter and I have been to visit him. The visits are intimidating. After you are searched you proceed to a hallway where a door that looks like it weighs 2 tons is shut and locked behind you. From that point on you are in the hands of guards you cannot see, through bullet-proof glass. Three doors later you arrive in a large room full of inmates and their families. Some are playing board games, some just talking. When you leave through the same path, you are released only after the inmate is strip searched.

We now can e-mail each other through a secure sight, and I feel like I know him now far better than I did when he was arrested. He is a completely different person now. He has told me that if he knew then what he knows now, that he would never have ended up there. It strikes me that I never talked to him about God until after he was arrested.

The part of his journey that I am most proud of is that he realized that he needed God. In a cell small enough to reach across, you have no more room to run. God started working on him immediately. It changed his destiny. He has a relationship with his kids and others that simply did not exist before. Had he not been arrested I think he would be dead by now.

God changed his heart. Even though he is still in prison, he has felt glimpses of freedom that only Jesus can give you. He started reading the bible. He started asking questions. He even sends money because he learned about honoring God by giving. He works a job 10 hours a day and sends money for restitution as well. To date his offerings have funded hundreds and hundreds of blessing bags. I carry them with me when I travel for work. Scott’s giving has also helped fund coffee for veterans and Free Spirits alike at Breathe Coffee House. From prison, he is helping people he has never met.

It seems to me that on the inside the thing that most hurts him is that he feels powerless to help anyone. Ironically, that’s exactly how I feel about him. I cannot reach him, and I cannot touch him, but I can most certainly help, just like he helps me. After Jordyn died, he sent me a letter because he wanted to encourage me. I remember he told me it seemed to him like it might compare to doing time: thinking about the whole sentence is too big, do one day at a time. I still think about that advice. He makes me realize that if he can reach out to help others, so can I.

It is interesting to me because Paul wrote most of the new testament from prison. He was in chains but knew he had a purpose. I do not believe that Paul had any inkling of how large his role was. He was obedient. God used it. I think we all under appreciate the things that God can do through our limitations. But also, there are consequences for our actions. My nephew is under a sentence here, but he has grace at his disposal for his eternity. In spite of our outcomes here, we are all under the same sentence of death. You too can have grace if you accept it. Think about it, where you spend eternity is the one time you choose your own consequences. Accepting Jesus as your savior introduces grace to the equation. If you want help with that, please reach out to me or someone.

What is your prison cell? Health? Money? Fear? Do you think it is possible that God has you where you are to reach someone? Maybe it’s to reach you.

Do you feel like you are the factor limiting how God can use you? Re-think that.

Challenge: Live free, in spite of limitations, in spite of your inability to find a reason – live free. Let God be God.

Rick Claiborn