Rocky Mountian Musings

Last week Wonder Woman (also known as my beautiful wife) & I went to a friends wedding in Colorado and spent a little vacation time out there. On a beautiful day I sat on a large rock in a fast moving mountain stream in Rocky Mountain National Park and wrote some of the following.

Gushing water down a mountain stream. Water flowing in endless detours around rocks and trees, eddies abound. Bright, hot, altitude sun shines its face on the the churning waters.

Water spitting. Seemingly jumping out of the water as if raining. As if saying hello to the flat topped rock with curious black circles on it.

Rainbow trout sunning in a shallow side pool. It's speckled back showing different hues as the rippled water runs over the him. Tail moving slightly to stay in place. Oblivious or unafraid of my presence, perched on this rock overlooking this wonder of creation, this rainbow trout.

Squirrel squirting about. Darting around tree limbs & rocks. Miniature squirrel. Skittering across the dead tree. The tree that fell across the stream acting as a bridge.

Butt sore. Sitting on this rock too long.

Redemption in the Real World

Thank you Sethmo for a great comment on my post dated 8/31/05, titled, "Good & Bad." Your comments take it to the practical level. It's great to theorize about redemption. But, what if that good & bad person moves in next door?

In the comment Sethmo talks about the issue of trust. Can we trust someone without limits especially someone who has crossed so many boundries that they were arrested for their behavior?

I don't think trust & boundries are opposites. I think they go together. For example, I trust my best friend but I don't give him my checkbook. Not giving him my checkbook is not about trust, but of appropriate boundries. I give my wife open access to my checkbook, not my friend.

So, let's get to the example everyone fears. You've got children and a guy moves in next door who's on the sex offenders list. What do you do? Freak out? Tell everyone in the neighborhood? Start a protest to get rid of that person?

Perhaps a more mature response is better. Go to him and tell them you've seen his name on the sex offenders list. Give him a chance to explain the circumstances. You'll probably get a vibe very early on if this person has dealt with their issues or if he's trying to hide. If you're really concerned he's hiding something, his court case is a matter of public record.

By taking the initiative, you are doing two things. First, if this person is preparing to commit another crime, you've put him on notice. He'll be more careful around you and your family. Second, if he's a guy who's on the mend, you've probably initiated a friendship.

Depending on the nature of the person and the crime you can set appropriate boundries. For example, if they've had sexual contact with children, they shouldn't be a babysitter for you even if they are on the mend. This boundry protects your family and helps him by staying away from any temptations.

I wish there was an easy formula. Each person is different. Each situation is different. The stakes are high.

I commend you Sethmo for having the courage to wrestle with the difficulties in applying the principal of redemption in the real world.

Good & Bad

Saturday I was sitting at a local prison with a group of guys having a 12 step meeting. For 14 months I've been one of the volunteers that's had the privilege of helping start this group. This group doesn't help them with the parole board so they participate for their own benefit.

I've been very surprised at how connected I feel with these guys. They've helped me break down my stereotypes of what people in prison are like. If they weren't in prison, I would like to have some of these men as friends. A couple would be great mentors. A couple other guys could mentor me in faithful praying.

Watching some of them grow so much in the past year has been satisfying. They are becoming new people. They are changing. They are becoming alive to God, alive to others & alive to themselves. Prison has been a place where they hit rock bottom. They're facing their crimes & addictions and are moving toward sobriety & healing. Right now some are monitoring, teaching and sponsoring other inmates.

I don't know all the details of why each guy is in prison. Each of them is there because they've done some bad things to other people. The pain they have caused others is evident in their stories. I'm sure that pain would be even more evident if I talked to the victims.

Before I started volunteering in the prison, I would have looked at some of these inmates and said, lock em up, throw away the key. They are bad people, a danger to society.

But, what if people are changing, growing, becoming a different kind of person so they would never do those terrible things again? Is there room for them in our society? Yes, there must be!

For me the challenge has been being able to see that these men, like all of us, are a mix of good & bad. Because of the greater degree of injury, their bad seems more pronounced. I'm ready to give them a second chance at blessing people instead of hurting people. They have blessed me. They have a lot of good to give.