Don’t Quit

Showing God’s love.

Who hasn’t been inspired to do something good?  There is this feeling deep down that says, “Do it”. And, who among us after a while hasn’t had second thoughts?

I’m about to tell you a good story, not to lift myself up, but to encourage us all to hang in there.

I started going into the Torres Unit* ten years ago. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of loneliness among the men in white**. In response, I committed to write every man I had had an exchange with at least once every two months, whether they wrote me back or not. In each letter, I committed to tell the truth and to offer hope.

On one prison retreat, I served on the outside team preparing meals, doing chores, but not going into prison. Each person on the outside team was assigned one man in white to pray for. I was assigned to pray for Joseph.

I wrote Joseph about once every two months for six years. He never responded.  Instead of saying the same thing over and over, I tried to be creative. I included copies of Calvin and Hobbes in letters, hoping that would catch his attention. I included poems (Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver), Hafiz, psalms, Richard Rohr, whatever seemed appropriate.

After a while, doubts set in. He probably doesn’t want to receive letters from “religious” people who have judged him all his life. He’s probably not even opening the letters. No doubt he throws them away when he sees the return address. It’s a waste of my time.

Recently, I went by my P.O. box and there was a letter to me having a return address from Joseph. You can’t imagine how excited I was to receive that letter.

Here is some of what he said—“Well hello there. Sorry that I never wrote you back. I’m indigent and only get 5 stamps a month. I thank you for your encouragement and letters over the years. They have been a great help to me and show God’s love through you. I’m going on 11 years now and just got a 2-year set off***. I don’t know what God’s plan is for me yet, but I still trust in him to see me through this life. All I have left is my faith, brother. I’m trying to stay positive in this negative world I’m stuck in. I’m in a spiritual rut and feel like I can’t push on. I just feel stuck, man.”

When we are given the privilege of doing something good, let’s hang in there.

*The Torres Unit is a Texas state prison located near Hondo, Texas.

**In Texas prisons, all inmates wear white.

***When an inmate comes up from parole, they can either be granted or denied parole. If denied, they are told the next time they are permitted to apply for parole. No specific reasons are given for why the inmate received a set off. You can imagine how disheartening that is.