CREED -- What do you believe?

This summer we're looking at our "Creed"... what we believe- about life, about God, about people, etc.
We'll be sharing our thoughts about this in various ways... thorugh this medium and others, on Sunday morning. I'm inviting you all to share your thoughts on this. It doesn't have to be overtly theological as much as an honest look at how what you believe plays out in your daily life.

What I have below is what I shared yesterday (Sunday) about my "beliefs".

--- I believe that tomorrow is a new day!

I believe that humanity was made in God’s image. I believe Jesus was the Son of God. I believe that we are all son’s and daughter’s of God. And if that’s true, then there’s the light of God in us. I believe there’s the potential for the light of God to shine out of us into the world. Because of this, I believe tomorrow is a new day… and I believe each of us can wake up to a new day!

Another way of saying this is… because of what I just said, I don’t believe that our histories dictate our future. I don’t believe our past seals our potential of who we can become. There are a lot of “I believe” here. But in short… I believe people can change.

I believe in Hope, but it’s not a “wishful” hope or hope as a “dream”. I believe in Hope that can move us forward to a better tomorrow. And it doesn’t happen by chance… it’s from hard work, preparation, and sometimes luck.

I think I always knew this, but my work with the Prison Ministry brought that out more. I was around people who killed others; all the way from accidental killings to pre-meditated murders. I was around at least two people I think were legitimate sociopaths. By the way, you’ll be comforted to know that, statistically most sociopaths are not in prison. I’ve been around drug addicts, alcoholics, and pedophiles. There were many damaged, sick, twisted, hurting people… emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

And inside is not a place you want to be. It’s a loud violent, and degrading place to be. Many people there are developmentally stunted. Prison is not the place where you can go and grow as a person.

I’m not excusing their behaviors. They did some destructive stuff, and should do time. But I’m saying, even in the midst of all that… in many ways, I saw in them the dream of a new day. I’ve heard many people say things like – “if I weren’t in prison, I’d be dead now.” Or I just want to kick drugs”, or “I want to start again fresh.” Many of them have plans for what they are going to do when they get out. I saw the fire of hope for a New Tomorrow. Many don’t know how to change, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to change for the better.

I went into this prison ministry not knowing what it would be like. It’s like having kids. Before kids, you have a general idea what it might be like. But actually having kids is quite different. But the thing I came away with mostly was that aside from the fact that the people on the inside have been tried, convicted, and sentenced… they’re a lot like you and I… only more so.

Often their histories and pasts contain a lot of abuse, violence and addictions. Some of us on the outside have this too, perhaps not to the same degree though. There is lot’s of destructive behavior as well. They deal with the same issues we tend to be dealing with; results of emotional baggage (our “parental” stuff, and “relationship” stuff) like we do on the outside. They struggle with self-esteem issues like we do. Granted we’re not robbing stores because of our self-esteem issues, but they come from the same roots.

People on the inside are damaged and broken, by life and their own choices. All of us are broken and damaged in at least one way by life and our choices as well. Many of them are trying to make it as best they can. They are trying to make some sense of life as best they can… like most of us.

Like us, many of them worry about their children. This was particularly true for the women. Now it’s true that some women are cold-blooded about their children too. Many of them really want to be better parents, like us. Many want a second or third, or fourth chance.

I’m just saying there are many on the inside that are really praying for God’s touch in their lives. They are really trying to make a go of it… like most of us. They really do want a New Morning. They really do want a New Day.

During my clinical chaplaincy training I spent 12 weeks with 7 other seminary students. One of them said once, “We all have a sermon”, meaning everyone of us has some principle or value we hold dear that guides our lives. My supervisor said, “I hope you have more than one.” Well, one of mine is: I believe tomorrow is a New Day! My work at the prison ministry made that clear to me.

We don’t have to stay where we’ve come from. Our future is not sealed by our past! Situations and events in our lives don’t have control and power over us forever! I saw a bumper sticker once that said, “be the kind of person your dog thinks you are”. With discipline and hard work it can be done.

There is an expression in Buddhism; the issues you have before you’re enlightened are the same issues you’ll have after enlightenment. The difference is you’ll know how to deal with them in healthier ways. They won’t cripple you perhaps as they did before.

One of the biggest differences between people on the inside and people on the outside is the world in the inside is a world of crisis. It can be a real pressure cooker in there. It’s unpredictable and anxiety producing… more so than the outside perhaps. Crisis can drop us to our knees in front of the cross a lot more than, say, times where “everything’s fine”, or “life’s great.” People on the inside really need to hear “Tomorrow doesn’t have to be like yesterday”.

And even though we on the outside more likely to say “everything’s fine” than we are to say we’re in crisis, I think we also need to hear “Tomorrow Is A New Day”…
Tomorrow is a new day!

Can I get an Amen?! ----