Life's but a
walking shadow, a poor player
That
struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And
then is heard no more: his is a tale
Told
by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying
nothing.
-Macbeth
In
Machiavelli's The Prince, the author
said "...he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.
Why are
unbelievers threatened because God loves them?
In a nearby
prison camp (Burgaw, NC) prisoners train dogs. These dogs are used by the
disabled-handicapped people, even families who want a loving best friend.
Years ago,
one Sunday afternoon, one of my friends drove my car to a prison camp. At my expense, I was delivering to the camp
religious materials which I felt would help the prisoners there. When we arrived I noted that it was a visiting
afternoon. Under close guard, the
prisoners in uniform, were standing along the fence talking with their
visitors... mothers, fathers, wives, and children. Many were holding hands through the
fence. There were smiles, happy
thoughts, signs of loving-forgiveness. I
thought, "If this therapy of families visiting you and seeing you
incarcerated does not change your way of living and help keep you out of a
facility such as this (rough buildings, poor food, hateful men and dogs
guarding them) then nothing will work."
But, I knew, deep down inside, that history proves prisons do not work,
even stocks, chains, and shackles. The
threat of road gangs and capital punishment, does not prevent crime.
Then I
learned of the dog therapy used at the Burgaw prison camp. Prisoners showing their love for an animal,
the animal's love for them. The attachment
between man and animal, and inner understanding-- almost devotion, has never
been understood by those who study the mind.
The love of animals and the animal's unconditional love, regardless of
anything, has always worked in nursing homes and mental institutions. Why not in a prison? This program is not new or unique to
Burgaw. It is also used in Colorado (Colorado
Correctional Industries) and Washington (Prison Pet Partnership Program). There has always been a very special
relationship between a man and his dog.
Jail bars, like technology, do not change human behavior. But, we do know that the inmate, showing
great care for his animal, changes. The
inmate knows that the animal loves him, depends on him. The inmate knows that unless he treats the animal
well, unless he is of no problem to his fellow inmates, he will be kept from
any relationship with the animal. The
inmate has the responsibility of caring for and developing the best behavior of
the animal. An animal trained by an
inmate becomes the exceptional, trusted companion of a disabled person... a
trusted member of a family. Perhaps the
empathy shown by the prisoner towards his animal will extend to the outside
world when the prisoner gains release.
We all must
learn, some later than others, that life has absolutes... good and evil. We find that good always wins. There are a billion stars in the universe,
God has a name for each. He knows the
name of each person chosen for life, even those who did not survive the murder
of abortion. He knows those who have
trusted Him in spite of everything.
There are many in this world, in prisons, the loneliness of nursing
homes, those who did not win life's lottery, who have a right to feel defeated-betrayed. Many of us have the feeling, gathered from
the attitudes of our relatives, associates, and neighbors, that if we were
burned at the stake, many of those family members and associates would throw
wood on the fire.
Lets face
it, we live in a world of deception-- everything, everyone, proffering, and
often protected by, a veneer of something. We even believe that God loves us,
whether we love him or not. God answers the prayers of those who believe in His
son. As a poet said, "There is good in the worst of us, bad in the best of
us." God chooses, pulls, and calls,
to His heart of love, every person He knew would believe on Him, before the
foundation of the world. The redeemed were a twinkle in His eye, given to His
son, claimed by His son, never to be separated.
For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
If this
eternal security and assurance does not bring joy to the Christian, there is
something very wrong.
When one
reaches my age of 84 years, is living alone and in poor health, when you go to
bed at night, the chances are good that you may never awaken (this is a very
good way to pass, instead of waiting for death in a hospice room). This writer,
always, in the early morning (4 a.m.), has a time of communion with God-- one
does not need a preacher or priest, just a small piece of bread and a sip of
wine, and in holy remembrance, you know the blessings of healing and forgiveness.
But, suppose when one of my assistants arrives at my house, the doors are
locked; I do not answer the phone. They know the hidden location a key to the
back door. Please, dear God, if this old, blind veteran is dead in bed, don't
let my assistant, the police, or mortician, think for one second, "He
actually thought that the creator of the universe had an interest in him."
After the
Macbeths killed the king, Lady Macbeth, more than he, kept washing her hands,
attempting to cleanse herself of the murder. Shakespeare said that all the
water of the oceans of the world, all the perfumes of Arabia,
could not erase the deed. The doctor examining her said, "She has a need
for the divine." The Christian, even while alive on this earth, enjoys
eternal life. He has already passed from death to life. Clinical death just
opens the door to the goal of heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment