noun /rəˈsidəˌvizəm/
the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend.
"Each year, more than 600,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons. Another nine million are released from local jails. Within three years of their release, two out of three former prisoners are rearrested and more than 50% are incarcerated again," (Benecchi).
That statistic, can be quite shocking, however, it is how many of us are living today- in spiritual imprisonment.
When reading that, it leads me to inquire why? Why do those who are released go back?
According to one source, "The lack of employment, negative social stigmas, and lack of support upon release can put inmates into a deeper state of depression and lead to desperate attempts to get the things that they want such as drugs to escape their reality,"(Stefanski).
Another source suggests that, "Offenders reoffend because we as a society do not accept them back into the community because we attach a negative stigma to people that have criminal records, thus pushing them away and forcing them back into their old habits,"(Brown et al.).
From both of these reasons, I can conclude that there are a multitude of reasons one reoffends due to societal pressures, personal issues, and not to mention if one has spent a longtime in bad habits or in the system that is what they know and what is comfortable; change is difficult. Change is something that is uncomfortable for people to endure thus resulting in a process many try to avoid.
However, the fact that change is uncomfortable or difficult are not valid reasons to stay complacent in life. It is unavoidable and a natural process of life as we grow older.
Allow me to paint you a picture; all of us in this world are born sinners, prisoners to our flesh and its evil desires. Some have found the door of the cell to be open, escaping their chains and living anew in Christ. Some have found the door to be open, but use the prison as a home or hotel almost- going out sometimes and experiencing true life, or using the liberty to live how they want to live, but at the end of the day they are returning to the prison cell as if bound to it and finding security in the bondage. Some see that the door has been unlocked, yet do not try to go through- or are skeptical, thinking, "This freedom is too good to be true," already pushing away the idea and going on with how they want to live life, learning how to live life in the cell, normalizing their imprisonment and ignorant (or blinded should I say) to the life that is beyond their four walls, a life they could only dream of. Some though, are in the cell, unaware that their door of freedom is swinging wide open, and are trying to escape through the little window in the top of their cell. They are doing the most to go to all other sources that seem to be promising, but nevertheless continue to lead them down a spiral that proves to be unsatisfying, unfulfilling, and draining.
No matter the situation, if the lock has been unlocked, never to be binding again, why are we still trying to live behind it as if our freedom has not already been freely given to us?
It seems a bit silly to willingly live imprisoned, but many of us identify with one of those scenarios. And I can go into each of those in detail and discuss them immensely, however, in this moment I feel led to center back to the topic of recidivism- the fact that many who serve their time are let go, put back into society, to then find themselves doing the exact same thing that got them caught in the first place.
The picture of those being released yet still living the same life lingers in my mind. This very image is the same to that of every born again believer who stays in their same habits they had before encountering Christ; the same image of those who have been set free but continue to live in their chains... The chains of sin, flesh, and bondage that weigh them down every day as if the padlock has not been opened. Not only opened, but destroyed, stomped on, broken to pieces, burned, utterly nonfunctional to never be used again, yet we still try to live behind it, as previously stated.
Which brings me back to why? The earlier suggestions shown of societal pressures seem to be an issue. Our world tends to put labels on us based on our past as a constant reminder, which can be difficult to overcome, and a tempting reason to stay in the past, but need I remind you of the only one who can put any label on you is the one who created you. God Almighty. And He calls you chosen, He calls you His, He sets you apart, redeeming you and calling you worthy. He has adopted you into the Kingdom of Heaven, setting you free from any history as He has washed you clean in His love and mercy. He has extended His loving arms to you, waiting to embrace you and clothe you in righteousness.
The world is cruel, it is mean, and full of evil. The enemy does not want to see you succeed nor live in this new found freedom simply because he was banished from this paradise. He wants to drag anyone and everyone down with him, into torture and hell, by means of distraction, temptation, and sin.
That can seem intimidating, yes, however, we cannot forget the fact of Jesus. He who has given us victory to overcome and walk in triumph over the devil.
Jesus has paid the ultimate price we deserved to bear, so that we may live a life FREE in Him. Nevertheless, we take this liberty for granted and continue to live in the same rut that drags us down. Jesus was willing to die for us because He loves each and every one of us THAT much; the question is, are you willing to receive His love, grace, and kindness into your life? To receive His healing to pick up your mat and walk? To not look back to the ways of this world but into a new light of His glory?
So often times, I feel it is easy to take what was done on the cross for granted, to forget just how much power is in what Christ did for us. It's so easy to slip back into those oh so familiar ways of the past and take advantage of Christ's suffering for our freedom to give us eternal life in Heaven. Many think, "Oh, I'm saved, I can live how I want to," but no, that is opposite the perspective we should have. To those who feel that way, I do not believe you truly understand the depths Christ went for you. The fact that He was mocked, spit on, and beaten beyond recognition but still said that you were worth it all, that alone should make you want to live differently, to glorify God and His great majesties of grace because we deserve that punishment, not the Lamb of God.
"But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man." -Isaiah 52:14
Moreover, the fact from above, about how society doesn't accept those with a past continues to linger in my mind. How are we as Christians accepting those born again? How are we looking at them, treating them, and providing them with a community of support, fellowship, and love that they can fall back on? Are we doing our part to welcome them into the Kingdom of Heaven and be there for them?
I feel it is my duty to remind all of us, that no matter how big or little of a past we have, we all come from something. Need I also bring up the fact that there are no levels of sin in the eye of God. A lie is just as ugly, just as sinful, and bad as murder, theft, adultery, etc. All of our stories before Christ are testaments of God's redeeming love, mercy, and kindness that He has extended to all of us just the same. He loves you just as much as the one on the street, or the one persecuting the innocent. He loves you just as much as the ones in our life that we compete with, cannot stand or find to be our enemies. He died for them just the same.
We cannot allow for our feelings, which are of the flesh, to stand in the way of accepting and loving those around us as Christ has called us to. Through Christ we are free from those feelings and have authority over our emotions to walk down a new path, so may I encourage you to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Overall, I feel the above mentioned statistic is a crisis that we need to battle not only physically but within the spiritual realm as well. We need to remain steadfast in the Lord and truly receive and walk in the freedom He has promised us, without looking back.
"As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away... But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." -Genesis 19:17,26
Don't go back. Don't go back to the chains that once held you down. Don't go back to the old ways of life, Christ has given us the freedom, so walk in it! And while doing so, embrace all your neighbors in love, extending grace onto them.
"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." -Colossians 3:13
"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2
So it is my prayer today, that anyone reading this now or even years later may find encouragement in your faith, that your heart will be made willing to receive the freedom of Christ and that you will truly begin to walk in authority and victory over the enemy. I pray you are encouraged to love on your neighbors and put to death any judgments, competitions or negative thoughts towards them and remember we are all equal in Christ. I thank you Lord for the work that you are doing in the hearts and lives of your people, and the revival you are stirring in the midsts. May you continue to speak life into the hearts and minds of your church and continue to reveal yourself unto us Lord. Thank you God for all you have done and continue to do Lord. Great is your name! I pray this in Jesus' mighty name, amen.
Works Cited
Benecchi, Liz. “Recidivism Imprisons American Progress.” Harvard Political Review, Harvard Political Review., 8 August 2021, https://harvardpolitics.com/recidivism-american-progress/. Accessed 14 September 2022.
Brown, Wade, et al. “Why Do Offenders Keep Reoffending?” Utah Valley University, https://www.uvu.edu/criminaljustice/docs/student-research/spring2019/why_do-offenders_keep_offending.pdf. Accessed 14 September 2022.
Stefanski, Ron. “Why Do Former Inmates Keep Going Back to Prison?” Cultural Daily, Next Echo Foundation, Inc., 21 August 2019, https://culturaldaily.com/former-inmates-keep-going-back-prison/. Accessed 14 September 2022.
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