Transformation

We often receive comments like, “leave them in prison, they will not change.” It is this stigma that continues the vicious cycle of recidivism, which, if you are wondering, 77% of prisoners are rearrested within five years, and 44% of those are in the first year. This high recidivism rate contributes to the 25% of the world’s population of prisoners. The highest in the world. Let us look at what the contributing factors are to recidivism: social environment, communities, life before incarceration and adjusting back to a normal life. Many find it difficult to reconciling with family and society, making it almost impossible to get employment to support themselves. Until we can learn to realize our own bias mentality, these numbers will not diminish. So, you may ask, what can I do? First. Examine your heart. Do you genuinely love all your neighbors, or are you one of those people who may have thought, “I am not hiring them, they have a record.” Or have you said, “they will never change?” Have you prayed for them? Fed them? Help them or visited a prison to witness to them? Well, If you have not, be open to what Jesus said. In Matthew 25:31-46 It says “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” What side do you want to fall on? Jesus made it clear. To help these men in women in his name. It is as you are doing it to him. If you truly are a follower of Christ, then your heart would be opened to seeing these people transformed. The second thing you could do is act when someone needs help. The effects of helping an ex-offender is widespread. You are helping our communities overall. By helping, you reduce crime rates, fill more jobs & help the economy, Reduce the number of parentless children or single parent households. Which then reduces the chances of the children falling into the same vicious cycle. Most importantly, you are furthering the Kingdom of God. I would ask you. What has God saved you from? Romans 3:23 Says, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There is hope in Christ Jesus our Savior! 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We are a new creation in Christ! We are transformed when we truly experience Jesus Christ. In starting H.E.A.L. Outreach, we have encountered hundreds of inmates in exit vendors. Transformed by Christ. We work daily with these men and women to help them heal and show them the love and power of Jesus Christ. I am living proof that this is possible. I just needed to experience God's love firsthand to heal from the stuff that I went through. Finally when you support organizations like ours you are doing unto the least of these just like Jesus Christ has commanded us to do.