Some people like to run in the morning. I am not one of those people. On a recent morning, however, as a concession to a major heat wave, I wanted to get out and get my miles done before the heat index rose above 100 degrees. I think I worked up a sweat tying my shoes!
By the end of that run, I was more than ready for a glass of ice water and a day spent in a nice, air-conditioned office.
In the course of the day, I was struck by the realization that the vast majority of the incarcerated in our country, even in the hottest climates, do their time with no air-conditioning, and even with very little shade. I have been in facilities in southern states during the summer months, and the men and women just sit and drip. In some cases, older and ill prisoners have to be moved to protect their health. In most cases, the heat causes more violence as tempers rise with the mercury.
Actions have consequences, and I’m not saying that prisons need to be comfortable places. But that does not mean we should withhold empathy! I invite you to join me in praying diligently for the safety of officers and prisoners living and working in those hot places. More than anything, I hope you will join me in my commitment to serving so that fewer men and women go back to prison, because they find Jesus and tell others about Him! Instead of cooling the air in correctional facilities, let’s see them emptied through the Gospel!
Will you work with us toward that end?