Pigeonholes and Grace
For several years, the children in our Wednesday evening class at church have colored Valentines to give to the inmates at our county jail. In December they colored Christmas cards and placed them in plastic bags, along with a few pieces of candy.
The teacher who initiated this ministry gets the supplies and leads the class in the effort asked me to contact the jail administrator to ask for permission to provide the gifts and to find out how many were needed. The administrator is kind and compassionate. She deeply appreciated the proposal and said that the inmates would appreciate them, too. She suggested that we prepare 120. When I commented that it was sad that there were so many, she said, “I’d rather they be here than in a ditch.” I was touched by how much she cared for those she serves.
After Christmas our church received thank you messages from several of the women inmates. These deeply encouraged me. I’d like to share some of them to encourage you, too.
- Just wanted to thank you for the candy and card. I am grateful.
- I just want to thank y’all for thinking of all us behind bars. It really means a lot, especially around the holidays. It puts a smile on our face knowing someone cares. Thank you.
- I will never forget the wonderful feeling I got when given your gift this Christmas.
- Thanks so much for the thought and generosity during these times. The little things truly matter.
All of these notes were on a single piece of paper. One woman’s message was the following quote from the Good News Translation:
I will proclaim your greatness, my God and king;
I will thank you forever and ever.
Every day I will thank you;
I will praise you forever and ever.
The Lord is great and is to be highly praised;
his greatness is beyond understanding.
Psalm 145:1-3
It is easy to pigeonhole people. Like you and me, these incarcerated women are complex people. Just like each of us, each of them has a story. Praise God for loving us no matter what our story is.
I remember something our older daughter said many years ago soon after we began to attend English country dance sessions. At the time, the group consisted of college professors, professional folks, a few folks who could have been described as hippies, and one homeschooling family (us). One of these “hippies” had a very different appearance than most of the group. I’ll call him Ron. Long and rather shabby beards were not common in the late 90s when we met Ron. His clothes were—shall I say?—very casual. He was the only man we knew with a very long and rather shabby beard, a beard which had come as a big surprise to us the second time we met him because the first time we met him, it had been tucked into a little bun under his chin.
Though his lifestyle and appearance were far different from almost everyone we knew, Ron became our friend. One day our daughter said, “Before, if I had seen Ron, I would have been a bit afraid. Now I’d say, ‘Hi, Ron.'”
One of the many advantages of homeschooling is the opportunity our children have to encounter a variety of people while having their parents nearby to help, and if needed, protect them. We can teach them to love everyone and also teach them the lesson that Jesus taught some Jews in the temple one day.
“Do not judge by the outward appearance,
but judge with righteous judgment.”
John 7:24
When I searched for an illustration for this post, I tried typing rich poor into the Smithsonian collection of images in the public domain. I found this sampler created in England in 1852.
At the top of the sampler is this verse:
Poor, weak and sinful though I am
I have a rich Almighty Friend
Jesus the Saviour is His name
He freely loves, and without end
He found me wandering far from God
And brought me to His chosen fold
Redeemed me with His precious blood
And with His power my foes controlled
He cheers my heart my wants supplies
And says that I shall shortly be
Enthroned with Him above the skies
Oh! what a Friend is Christ to me!
Oh where are those mansions of light
That home, ever happy and fair
That land where the days are all bright
Unsullied by sorrow and care
Far far from this valley of tears
The Saviour has gone to prepare
Those mansions, and when he appears
His people shall dwell with Him there
Oh happy and glorious ‘twill be
To meet in those mansions above
From sin and from sorrow set free
All perfect for ever in love!
The verse beautifully describes the need of each of us and the hope God offers us in Jesus.
For while we were still helpless,
at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man;
though perhaps for the good man
someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8
In an effort to let more homeschooling families know about Notgrass History, we are conducting a Be Happy Homeschooling Giveaway. The prize is the Be Happy Homeschooling Set, pictured below. The last day to enter is tomorrow, January 31, 2023. Clicking on this link will enter you in the contest and also show you more ways to enter.
