In the community where I grew up, my father had a friend named Albert. Albert was known throughout town as a drunk, but my father stuck by him, anyway. He saw not who Albert was, but who he could be—a child of God full of love and joy.
So one day when Albert got into trouble, the local police department called my dad. While intoxicated, Albert had been sprayed by a skunk. Now he was dunking himself in the town fountain, trying to get away from the stench. My dad drove to town, cleaned Albert up, and brought him home.
I will never forget the image of Albert, drunk and soaking wet, attempting to get clean. What a powerful picture of where each of us has been! We have all tried, on our own strength, to get free of the consequences of our sin, only to make an even worse mess of things. We have thought we could earn or steal God’s grace by fixing ourselves, when the only way out of our predicament is to confess our brokenness and let our Friend rescue us.
Before Albert died of cancer, he stopped trying to steal grace and simply received it. He made his peace with God, and after many years of investing in his life, my dad had the joy of helping him grow as a disciple of Jesus.
Men and women behind bars sometimes feel as though they have fallen too far to ever be included in God’s family. But the truth is that none of us deserve grace. We are all broken and need mercy. That’s what makes it such a joy to bring the Gospel to prisoners, sharing the same message that brings freedom to everyone who will call out to Jesus.