Words Less Spoken

I received one of the highest compliments I’ve ever been given this afternoon. While leaving a courthouse in a north Louisana parish (county), I was stopped by a guy in the hall who knew me. He said he remembered me coming to the state prison where he was incarcerated over five years ago. He apologized for not remembering my name but said he remembered my face.

I’m glad that was all he remembered. Not a sermon. Not a personality. Just my face. It’s not about what we say, what we profess, but what we do that makes a difference. Being there may be the most significant thing we can do for the hurting, the lonely, and the dying. Case in point.

I don’t share this to brag. I share it with the upmost humility and will cherish the compliment more than any Amen, any applause, or any paycheck I received in the ministry. I’ve had a lot of regrets from things I said and did while pastoring. There are a lot of sermons I’d like to have back, plenty of deacon’s meetings I wish I would’ve missed, a few services I’d rather have skipped, but there is not one minute spent with inmates in the state prison that I regret.

Of all the things I have ever been involved with, nothing has been more personally, spirtually, or humanly gratifying than time spent with those guys. I always believed “there for the grace of God, go I.” Only one mistake separated them from me, only one. I cannot tell you the number of times I drove an hour one way after an 8 hour day to spend time with those guys. So many times I was tired and didn’t ‘feel’ like going but was always so glad I did on the way home late at night.

On this very ordinary, aggravating, stress-filled work day it did wonders for my soul to be remembered.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:37-40

Please remember Steve. He’s out of the state prison and recently completed his diesel mechanic training. He’s serving as an inmate trustee cleaning the courthouse and doing maintenance on the Sheriff’s department vehicles until his sentence is served in 2012. He’s up for parole next year and asked for all the prayers he could get.