No Bias

Wearing only Velcro-strapped gray garments as the only covering, 3 bodies were put together in this particular cell. Feet without shoes nor slippers, they were stripped of any material that could be potentially dangerous and be used by their desires to end their lives.


Welcome to the jail’s “Suicide Watch”.


They were in open view, checked alternately and often by the deputies, Sergeant or the Intake Nurse. Their activities were closely monitored and logged on a piece of document. When night time came, they were given blue boats [huge, plastic beds] where they could rest if they wanted to. They would need to patiently endure a long night, only to be seen by the jail’s Psychiatrist in the morning.


Some of them were long time residents of that cell. Not until the Psychiatrist released them, if they remained unstable with their behavior, they would continue to be monitored. If the medications prescribed started to help them and if the Psychiatrist determined that they were not a threat to themselves anymore, they would be released or re-housed in the jail’s general population, or from whatever unit they came from.


I glanced at my watch. The dials were glowing at 12 midnight. I saw him there, just sitting, talking to self. He briefly looked up when he saw me peeking through the huge, glass window. He didn’t say anything. He kept staring.


I motioned for him to come closer to the window. I wanted to talk to him.


“Are you okay?” my question partially deadened by the thick partition in between us.


“I can’t sleep. I tried,” as he pressed his head against the window.


“Are you still hearing voices?”


“Yes.”


“It must be hard. I’m sorry that I can’t give you anything to help you sleep. The evening nurse had already given your medications for the night. But I want you to try to rest, even if you can’t sleep, lay down anyway. So you won’t be tired when the doctor comes in the morning to see you. Then, we’ll let him know that the medications seem not to be helping you, okay?”


“Okay. Thank you,” was the low-toned reply as his footsteps slowly traced the path back to the cold, concrete bench.


“I’ll keep an eye on you. But if you need anything, I want you to let me know,” I added.


Three bodies. Three suffering people. Three different backgrounds. Three different races. But all were in the same boat of finding solutions, of finding hope, of finding a cure to never-ending voices that seemed real, when not real to others. The voices that constantly nagged at them to kill themselves, to end their lives. The treatments consisted of medications and therapies or combination of different modalities. It was worth a try than not to do anything at all.


For life is precious. And the staff will not allow these precious lives to be ended just because they intended to do so. Most of them are not in the right state of minds. They all need help!


We are all the same…Suffering from the eternal death we are facing because of our sins. But others still deny that they are in need of help. They are living a good kind of life. They have everything. Why would they need anyone to help them?


But we all need the hope that the Good News brings. It’s not aimed to a particular person. It is not directed only to people of one race, one sex, or one background. It is aimed to save all of us, “for we are all sinners”.


And we are all precious to the One Who created us in His image... God loves us all. He sent His Son to save us, sinners. No one is outside of His mercy and beyond the reach of His gift of salvation. He wants us ALL to be saved. In God, there is no PARTIALITY or BIAS.


“Pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.” - 1 Timothy 2:1

From The Message:

Romans 2: 9-11 -”If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you’re from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say [or what you think] about you. He makes up his own mind.”


"All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles. But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. God doesn't have any favorites!" -Contemporary English Version

14 comments:

  1. Amen, amen. God bless you dear sister of my heart.

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  2. Thank you for being Light in the darkness.

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  3. Francis Frangipane wrote "The Three Battlegrounds", an insightful excursion into spiritual warfare.

    A chief battleground for every human is the mind.

    At times, the problem is simply physical, as in, say, bi-polar folks needing meds to lift and lower them, as they get depressed and manic.

    At other times, the voices are demonic, and doing their job to take the word evil, and employ it. Evil is "live" backwards; the end of life without Christ means no light of the world forever, for the individual. Total darkness is the kingdom they end in.

    He has given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and overcome ALL the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.

    Three Battlegrounds in three men.
    May you be blessed with discernment to hear what they hear....and rebuke it, never to return and destroy. Do this in the Name of Jesus.
    He has placed you as a Watchman in the Night against the enemy. He has chosen wisely.

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  4. @ Keystone: I am thankful for the weapons we have from God. Because I know I am always faced with spiritual enemies at my workplace. Sometimes, I don't get that opportunity to discern more and rebuke the enemies with the busyness in that particular place [where Suicide Watch is]. A lot of bodies constantly come in to be screened by the nurse.

    When times like that prevents me from dealing more with those enemies, I bind them in Jesus' Name and I see the transformation in the sense that the inmates become lesser agitated. It is a privilege to be working for the Lord. I'm only a "wretch" [borrowed this from the latest post in the Glass House]saved by His mercy and grace. Blessings.

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  5. Rosel, my kind and sweet sister in Christ;
    You are such a blessing to me. Your wise words bring insight to my longing heart and mind. Thank you my friend. God bless you.
    Your sister in Christ,
    Bren

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  6. I read this with interest having just seen the movie, The Soloist. I partner with you in prayer as you go to work in such a dark place.

    I thank you for your prayers for R. Keep praying!!!!! You won't believe the evil the enemy is working towards us through him. Yes you would.

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  7. Rosel,

    My heart just cries out for these tormented souls that if they just had hope in Jesus they would see life in a different light and have the peace that passes all understanding so that they could rest at night.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  8. I am so saddened by listening to some of your stories of inmates and some of the torture and pain they inflict on themselves. I pray that God will somehow find them and work miracles through your intervention and kind words.

    Take Care,

    Steve

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  9. this is wonderfully said. You have an amazing ministry not just to the prison guys but to us. The way you put things so simple yet so profound touches something inside me. Thank you RCUBe. Sarah

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  10. Rosel,

    HE has chosen well! and remember that as you Bind these Spirits to always LOOSE the Lords Spirits to fill those places that have been removed so that they won't come back worse than before. Matthew 12:43-45. God has given you spiritual authority and praise HIM that you can and do pray for these men as you may be the only one who does!!!
    Rosel ~ from me personally thankyou from the bottom of my heart for the warfare you did on my behalf and my dads! You humble me and your friendship blesses me more than I could EVER possibly express!
    I love you dearly my friend!

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  11. Hey RCUBEs,
    It's so sad to see anyone in that condition, so depressed, hearing voices, wanting to end it. Even waiting for medication to start taking effect can feel like an impossible task.

    I appreciated the way you tied that into the global situation, a world of people who need to hear the Good News, who need to be healed and set free, to be given hope.

    God bless :)

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  12. I feel an ache in my heart for these lost and lonely people. What a blessing that God has placed you there to give them a sense of hope.

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  13. My daughter is a nurse, who started in an orthopedic's office. All she did was spray the exam table and put on a new paper. She quit and found a job as a corrections officer. She works the 11-7 shift and likes it.

    I'm glad you are there for these prisoner patients.

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  14. Every story you write about every person you touch with the care of their loving God touches me so deeply Rosel. I am thrilled to have come to know you.

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"Faith is taking the first step even if you don't see the whole staircase..."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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