Terry Richardson was the former Director General of Chaplaincy for Corrections Service Canada with an emphasis on Restorative Justice. I’m passing along a piece he sent out last year to chaplains involved in corrections. Good thought on how our perspective changes everything.
Kevin Rogers
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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
One day, two men left their town and traveled to a new city. They journeyed separately. As the first approached his destination, he stopped to talk to a wise man sitting under a tree. “Tell me sir, what are the people like in this city?” he asked. The wise man replied, “What were the people like where you came from?” The traveler responded, “They were mean and greedy, looking for every opportunity to get what I had!” The wise man said, “You will find the people here like that too.”
Later, the other traveler encountered the wise man as he approached the city gates. “Tell me sir,” he also asked, “what are the people like in this city?” The reply was again, “What were the people like where you came from?” This second traveler responded, “They were warm and friendly, always wanting to reach out and help.” The wise man replied, “You will find the people here like that too.”
Two people having spent their time in the same place traveled along the same road. They arrived at the same destination, yet with such entirely different perspectives. Obviously the wise man’s question revealed more about each individual, than either where they came from or where they were heading.
The story is replayed among us. It could be about staff at an Institution, about offenders doing their time, or about the journey of life. Experience colors expectation. The past affects the future. The big question is: Do things deteriorate or improve? One traveler becomes hardened and the other blossomed. Strangely enough they both find what they look for.
What do you expect as you look ahead? What attitudes are you carrying with you? Will they drag you down or lift you up? You know your own answers.
Like the travelers with the wise man, why not approach someone for a dialog about life. God can help. Spiritual resources such as worship, prayer, reflection, conversation with a faith leader, life in a faith community assist us in getting us past the hard negative attitudes. It’s not magic, it’s a journey. It might involve deep thinking, laughing, crying, attitude adjustments … whatever reshaping of our experience is needed to reshape our expectations for life. “Asking, seeking and knocking” are involved.
It’s too bad the first traveler didn’t walk with the second. Then, he would have gotten to know someone warm and friendly, someone wanting to reach out and help. That experience itself might have opened up a new horizon for him.
Walking alongside of each other. Getting to know each other. Taking a measured risk of trust. These can be spiritual experiences: gifts from God that can lead to hope rather than frustration for the days ahead. Why not walk with someone on your journey?
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