My message today was centered on Jesus’ well known parable “The Prodigal Son.” Generally the men seemed to be really focused on the message and intrigued by the insights I tried to share. This is a message I have shared at many different prisons and have written about here on the blog. Last week when we visited a facility which we have been to many times, I was asked to speak about, “Finding Happiness in Times of Difficulty.” Its no surprise that incarcerated men would want to hear about this particular topic as they are facing a difficult and stressful existence everyday. The same could be said for you and I on some level but clearly the life of a prisoner is a distinctive and unique challenge.
I have to imagine that maybe the message I chose to share regarding this topic was not quite what they expected in many ways. I began by asking them about their own experience of happiness at various times in their lives, including now and if they think they will find some measure of happiness when they get released. Not many of them indicated they have experienced much happiness in their lives. I then pointed out that there are probably as many different definitions of happiness as there are people. The prevailing definition among many people in the world today is that happiness is having plenty of money and possessions, as well as a nice wife/husband, family and a great job. I asked the men “what is happiness?” Well, it depends in large part on your current circumstances. For example if you’re a blind man you may say that happiness is having eyes that work. If you’re a poor man you may say a house, food or just a good pair of shoes. What about an obese man, a diseased man, a lonely man or… an incarcerated man. He may say that happiness is freedom.