We're all in bondage to something...

I came across this yesterday while thinking about the brothers in Lansing.

"Anyone who could change from the worse to the better can also change from the better to the worse. There is one hope, one ground of confidence, one reliable promise - your mercy."

It struck me, as it did a couple months ago, that for the most part, these men, like all of us, have made mistakes and just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, I can't know all their stories and histories but I know enough to realize that there are people "on the outside" who have done much worse and remain free.

While we institute laws for a reason, it's simply incredible that God has pulled these men together and built a body in what, humanely speaking, is the last place to look for hope.

I pray that those of us living in 'freedom' will, all the more, ask God to release us from our chains of sin. Just because we aren't in jail, doesn't mean we're good people. Goodness isn't external, it's internal. Society cannot objectify good and bad because we're part of the equation.

At times, we're all captive to something. In a way, the brothers in Lansing are a step ahead, knowing outright how dark the human heart can be.

In light of this, what are we doing with our human freedom? These guys are seeking God without it, how much more then, should we be seeking Him?


In other news, I received a letter from Friends today. I was accepted. Over the past couple days, I was indifferent as to the outcome. On the way back from Lansing, I began thinking, "I don't need to go to grad school...". I'll still most likely go. There's a wealth of skills that I'll gain while in the program that I'd be passing up.