Ever been to prison?

I have...finally!

I'd been putting it off some quite some time, but it finally made its way into my schedule. There have been a number of opportunities to go in the past few years, but I just hadn't made it a priority.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a prison. But it was a maximum-security juvenile correctional facility. That makes me a least a little tough, doesn't it?

A few Sunday's ago, I accepted the offer, and joined a couple of Brothers in leading a worship service there. I've had several invitations in the past to be involved with prison ministry, but there have always been weighty-enough excuses to decline.

But that Sunday afternoon, there was no excuse, no reason to put it off any longer. And what I found there (thanks in part to my basketball career) wasn't so shocking: a bunch of almost-adult boys doing all they can to avoid appearing vulnerable.

They showed it in many different ways. Some were rowdy. Some were quiet and withdrawn. Only a couple appeared to be attentive or interested.

Not so unlike....well...anywhere else.

The great irony of vulnerability is that those who show it (at least in the emotional and spiritual senses) are the stronger ones. I'm pretty sure I'm not one of them.

In our current culture which gives plenty of "people are basically good" lip service (which is a lie!), yet is so bent on self service that everyone is suspect of taking advantage of me, revealing my weaknesses is a daunting prospect. Willingness to show my flaws without fear of rejection, ridicule, or exploitation is beyond any resolve or determination I can muster. Candidly, cognizance of my flaws is something I usually avoid.

And yet, growing stronger requires that I start by recognizing my weaknesses. In fact, I'm convinced that recognition of those weaknesses IS strength. As the years trickle by, it's becoming clearer to me that the most significant component of maturation is that of becoming well-acquainted with ones flaws.

My heart ached for those boys, many of them staring blankly, content simply to be temporarily relieved of their confinement. There was so much more we were there to offer them than a few breaths of less stale air. But for their unwillingness to let their guard down, let alone expose any soft spots, I wonder how many caught a glimpse of the great treasure being laid before them.

I highly recommend going to prison. It certainly played a part in reforming me--it could even reform the likes of you!