These five words jumped out at me as I spent 5 hours last Saturday with my uncle who is in prison. I know he reads this blog, and I contemplated even writing this, but I opted to do it because of what he is teaching me through this process as well as the testimony of Jesus Christ that he is representing.
We drove 5 hours to the Federal Prison, went through "inspections" and then got to hug our uncle and just talk. He had a twinkle in his eye that I have not witnessed in months. He is living life, in a tough place, in a completely different culture, but he is moving forward as positively as he can.
He shared so many stories, but he spent a lot of time talking about the injustice of the Justice System. He told the stories of guys who had 10 years for possession of "meth", when these guys could potentially be rehabilitated in 6 months. Or guys who made one mistake and are now spending 20 years. Their families have been torn to shreds. There is just not a lot of rehab taking place as these "criminals" are getting sent out into the world, only to return at an alarming rate.
About the justice system, my uncle told us that "it's a white man's system". He already has observed the reality that our system is geared toward whites; this coming from a white man who has experienced a bit of this injustice. More to think about from more of an inside perspective. Keep praying for my uncle. That he would stay strong and make a positive influence on those who walks with each day.
1 comment:
Many people who hear those words would rear up against it, as though it is somehow offensive to them. I whole-heartedly agree with your words, and think that it just takes a good amount of listening to see things from this perspective. Thanks for having the boldness to put that out there. And by the way, perhaps you've already been, but here in Chicago we have a place called Lou Malnati's. The one near us works in collaboration with the church to give people coming out of prison a chance to have a good work record again.
And yes, we will pray for your Uncle's perseverance.
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