Skip to main content

AN ENCOUNTER WITH LIFE BEHIND BARS

When I was younger, I was wrongfully accused of theft.
It was the saddest period of my life.
At the time the incident occurred, my father was at work and my mother had travelled to Kumasi.
When she returned, I told her what had happened and she immediately threatened to take me to prison: she had an inspector friend who could whisk me away whenever she needed that kind of help.

Mummy didn’t do that.

But what if she had?

I would have been reprimanded and perhaps remanded for a crime I did not commit.

The prisons visit I embarked on with a group of friends was a personal reminder of the faithfulness of God and how much He has covered me.
You know, the young men we met at the correctional institute are no different from our brothers at home, church or in school.

We need to constantly plead the blood of the Lamb over our lives.
There are some of them who got caught for a single mistake…. mistakes you and I could easily have made.

Over there, you would see…
Wrongfully accused inmates
Victims of broken homes
Victims from abusive backgrounds
Victims of strong demonic manipulations
Victims of hurt as a result of unfulfilled promises from loved ones
Victims of circumstance


They may have caused harm to others…
They may have inflicted wounds in the hearts of others…
But what we do not see is that they were victims before they victimized others.

Yesterday, our leader, Reverend Caleb Hammond spoke to the inmates on, “The man of honour”. It was a brief but profound message of how men of honour protect, give and above all, are spiritually strong and not just physically.
It was breathtaking to see a sizeable number of these young men stand to profess their intention to be men of honour.
The motto of the inmates is: We will rise again!

We pray for these young men, that indeed they will rise again.
We most especially are asking the Holy Spirit to water every good seed which the various churches and ministries have sown into their lives through their outreaches and ministrations.

Like Reverend Hammond said, when we get the chance to sow seeds of goodness into the lives of the young men and women we see outside the walls of the correctional centre, let us not hesitate. For it is better that we save them from entering such places because whether we like it or not, some of these young men who enter such environments are likely to come out being crime lords.

I have a responsibility…. You do too.

Lord, help us.

This is #SharingLife.

God bless you for sharing life!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Invitation to Intimacy

  I gave my life to Jesus in St. Louis Senior High School.  I am very sure I had gone forward for altar calls many times before that. But St. Louis was different. I was conscious; I was aware of myself and my environment. I knew I needed God in my life. To be honest, the issues of life drove me to take God seriously. A friend had had a dream about her and me and the moment she shared it, I knew I had to let go of the old garment and take on the new. So, I joined the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) meetings and that was where my life changed.  That encounter led me to a great relationship with the Lord. I read the Scriptures (my favourite was the Book of Psalms because I used that to pray a lot). It was in St. Louis I learnt I was never alone (why do you think I support Liverpool FC so much?). I learnt to rely on Him alone.  When I entered the University, I realized a newfound freedom and observed (by the Grace of God) that if I didn’t take my spirituality seriousl...

Go With God

When I started Sharing Life, my intention was to put out what I knew Holy Spirit was teaching me. This was what He asked me to do. It wasn't to parade myself as an all-figured-out girl who was on her way to becoming a preacher.  It was a journey of life I was learning and one which I had received the go-ahead to let the world in on.  Somewhere on this road, I was seen as a "Woman of God" and put on this high and mighty pedestal which wasn't me.  And you know what, in such moments, it is so easy to get carried away by the accolades of men to the point where you lose sight of your journey, where you are and decide to serve the expectations of others... thereby neglecting your own journey and growth.  After taking a very long break from active writing, I have on numerous occasions attempted to start writing again but the fear of being put on that pedestal has stopped me so many times.  I am a child of God. I am a girl on a journey. I don't have it all f...

30 things I love about you: pt. 10-12

Hi babe,  6 more days to go. We thank ABBA for everything.  10. I love the way we resolve conflict. I truly appreciate the posture with which you approach conflicts. Thank you for showing me that your posture is always to do what is needed for us to move forward. Thank you for showing that your goal isn't to find who is at fault and then crucify the person but rather to identify how to build from there and keep building. It took me a while to know this and thjs knowledge gives me the peace to resolve issues with you. I pray ABBA'S blessings for you, always. 11. I love how you give me room. You don't hold me back. You push and keep pushing me to strive for excellence and to be the best. Thank you for pushing me to start Doux! Thank you for pushing me to take my place. I encountered a man, whom I thought I loved, who was more concerned about me putting my ministry and dreams aside to pursue his. He never encouraged me if it didn't fit his "ideas". One of the mai...