conviction

I watched him align the seam of his newly acquired, once florescent, now stained, orange socks. As he adjusted his toes to fit these previously owned accessories his breathing was the only thing he was used to. The plastic chair he was assigned to was cold and emotionless, much like he had been trained to be.

3 feet away from him yet it felt like my heart was in his chest cavity. As his street clothes got packaged & filed into storage one of the last parts of who he was was taken. I swallowed & the lump in my throat echoed off of the cinder block walls.

He described his tattoos & my thoughts ran. I had an genuine feeling of love for this boy. His fade & pure brown eyes captivated my heart. I was taken back. He apologized for the profanity inked on his forearm & i wonder what he wants to be when he grows up. I wonder if he has a best friend or a crush on the girl in 4th block.

After being fully processed we walked him to his unit where he became 2B-4. We then sat down in an office and went through his file. Whike adding all the processing paperwork my eyes found his charges. I couldn't believe what they read. I would have never assumed the words I saw. Then I stopped myself.

Would I have been as compassionate and concerned about this child if I did his assessment first? Would anyone?
How do you feel when you see someone in an orange jump suit compared to hightops & a Hanes t shirt?


I was humbled by the boy who was assigned to 2B-4.
I was challenged to love the soul of someone. To disregard the four letter words etched into someone's skin & focus on their future. I was asked to receive someone in pure love.

Isn't that what Christ does for us? And aren't we damn lucky to have him disregard our assessment paper work?

I watched his hands shake as the officers brought him through the doors & I saw shame. I saw fear and I saw desperation.
I saw a chance to be at least one person in that boys life who wouldn't label him with his charges