Darse cuenta means to realize. Today as I was waiting for the bus to leave Maranata, I saw a police car pull up, lights flashing. Then one proceeded to emerge and go to the door of the men's house. I wasn't sure what to think. Was there a fight of some sort? Something illegal? I was just in there and everything seemed calm. And Maranata is a Christian organization, so there wouldn't be any illegal activity. I waited and waited for the bus, watching for it, yet also watching the policeman and vehicle. Finally, he received some sort of confirmation and tapped on the window to the other side of the front of the car and a woman officer emerged. Together they brought out the man in the backseat. Man may not have been the right word, because that puts a picture of someone older in your mind. He was my age. And handcuffed. And walked into the home.
I knew I had been working with people who had problems with addiction. I had heard that sometimes a judge will send someone to Maranata to avoid sending them to jail. What never hit me is that I don't know how many came here of their own will and how many were brought there. In handcuffs. Like criminals.
I tried picturing some of those beautiful faces, both men's and women's, in the same scene. How humiliating to be seen at your lowest, to have someone's first impression of you be you in handcuffs.
But these people are more than that. They are more than their addictions. They love, they laugh, and they hurt, too. And they are giving up everything to get better.
1 comment:
At Catalyst West back in April, Reggie Joiner talked about the one thing he believed would revolutionize every church in America: that we start treating prodigal sons like the father character in Luke 15 did, instead of the older brother: that we run down the road to embrace them, elevating them from that desperate state into joy and an immediate sense of community.
The young man in handcuffs made me think about how that son must have felt when approaching his father's house again. Good thing he's walking into an environment with solid people who can share Jesus' love with him.
Good post!
Post a Comment