“If you want applause, join the circus.” If you want to talk about it with
Jesus forever, keep it quiet.
When I told Sweet Maria about my jail friend, she thought I was nuts.
Who knows, she’s probably right. We both laughed at the thought we’d
come home one day soon and see this guy wearing an ankle bracelet,
walking down the street and carrying our flat screen. I kind of hope he
doesn’t, but it’ll be a great story if he does. It should be the same for you.
Go ahead and risk it. You’re just Tree # 4. You don’t need a bunch of
lines; Jesus is in the lead role, and He’s got it handled. All you need are a
couple of arms to hold up in the air like branches and a few fingers to
wiggle.
I’m guessing my friend from jail went on to do terrific things with his
life, but even if he didn’t, I did, and it was because of what I learned from
him. He gave me one more thing to talk to Jesus about. Jesus doesn’t
need our help with the hungry or thirsty or sick or strange or naked or
people in jails. I know this, because I asked Him. He wants our hearts. He
lets us participate, if we’re willing, so we’ll learn more about how He
feels about us and how He feels about the people we may have been
avoiding.
There’s an amazing chaplain and a group of guys in a prison in Michigan
and another in Minnesota who teach me something about love every
month or two. We exchange letters, and I’ve gone to visit them. Another
group of prisoners started their own “Bible Doing” group. Many of them
are in for life. They racked their minds about what they could do for
others while imprisoned. They wiggled their fingers and used what they
had. For $ 1. 10 they can buy pairs of jail socks from the commissary.
They mail them to me, and I’ve been giving them away for these guys.
We may not be able to walk in their shoes, but we can walk in their socks.
I think these guys understand a lot more about what Jesus was talking