Brother Potts will never go home. Because of the crimes he has committed, he will spend the rest of his days on earth locked behind prison bars. But he is also one of the most joyful people I know. He is humble, gentle, and caring. He is an elder in the Church behind the walls, and he is a prayer warrior for the ministry.
I’ve known Brother Potts for a while now. He is incarcerated close to my home, and when we see each other, I can be sure I’ll get a back-cracking hug. When we talk, he doesn’t ask me to do anything for him—he just wants to know if God has answered his prayers for me and Prison Fellowship. When I tell him what God is doing, we weep tears of joy together.
At one time, Brother Potts was a man you might have walked across the street to avoid passing. He was a thug. But because of God’s grace restoring his life, He is now a servant who leads other men in his prison toward righteousness. Every time I see him, I think, This is why we I go into prison. This is why I pray and work and spend weeks away from my family in airports and hotels. This is what makes it all worth it.
When God restores lives, He restores them completely. He heals the pain of the past and returns people like Brother Potts to their full potential in this life, until at long last he gets to go Home.