Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. (Galatians 3:23)

For the past several years, I have worked with inmates and their families to ensure that the children do not also end up in prison. Our goal is to break the generational recidivism that plagues the prison system in America. When I first stepped into a maximum-security facility, met the inmates, and spoke to them, I was hit by a chilling realization: I am like many of them. I am separated from these men by a very thin line, and many of them are where they are because of a momentary lack of self-control that brought harm to communities and innocent lives. Still, we are not that different.

“Eventually, the prisoner forgets what real freedom is, just as a slave can forget what freedom is.” #crossruptionTweet this

I also realized that all of us are in a prison. Whether we are housed inside one or living on the outside, we all are locked up in our inner selves. All of us suffer regret, remorse, guilt, and bondage. Every emotion experienced in a jail cell resides inside each soul.

Fallen creation is like a prisoner serving a life sentence. When a person expects to spend the next several decades inside a cell, he or she finds a kind of freedom even in prison. The space inside becomes a version of liberty. There is no point in fighting it or feeling regret. Slowly, slavery becomes the new freedom. Eventually, the prisoner forgets what real freedom is, just as a slave can forget what freedom is. Far too many live today being slaves in their inner being, seeking for spiritual freedom, a spiritual freedom that is not about belief but experiencing spiritual liberty.