Crisis Clarifies What is Most Important

It amazes me how it takes a crisis for us to realize what is really important in our lives. The coronavirus is forcing families to spend more time together, and many families are spending quality time with each other for the first time in years. True, the inability to get away from each other has some drawbacks too. Sadly, domestic violence cases are up by almost 50%, and I'm sure, tragically, incidents of abuse are up as well. But the good part of social isolation is that you get to focus on what's right in front of you. 

When someone is arrested and sent to prison, they experience a profound sense of loss because of the social isolation they are forced into. This coronavirus forces families to spend more time together. Prison's social isolation drives families apart. The irony is that after being sentenced to prison time, many prisoners realize that the most important people in their lives were right in front of them the whole time. They gain a new appreciation for their loved ones, not because they are forced to spend time together, but because they are forced to spend time apart. 

Some citizens are protesting around the country because they feel the government has stripped them of their autonomy and have mandated excessive restrictions. A month or two in semi-quarantine has proven too hard for many people. I get it. But I also doubt they'd make it in prison. I've been in social isolation now for more than eleven years. I can't go play golf, go to the beach or movies, plant flowers in my yard, spend time with people I love, or a host of other things people are itching to be able to do. True, I committed a crime, and these citizens did not. But the point is that social isolation often negatively affects peoples' mental health. We are not meant to live in isolation. We need the interaction of healthy social relationships to thrive. 

Prisoners are not isolated from other people in general. In fact, prison can feel very crowded sometimes. That's why pandemics like the coronavirus are so dangerous in prison. However, even in the midst of a crowd, most prisoners feel a profound sense of isolation. They are quarantined from people they love and places that are familiar. The fear of what the virus is doing to people we love outside of prison and what it may do if it sweeps through the prisons we're in only heightens the mental anguish of social isolation. 

But, it's not all bad news. The prison I'm in, for instance, has a wonderful group of people (we call them "outside members") who normally come in for our Monday night church service and others who come in to lead other relgious services. Because of our quarantine, these people, who are like family, cannot come in. We miss them terribly. Nevertheless, while they are not able to enter the prison, a group of prisoners have stepped up to assume leadership roles in the church. A handful of us, many from the Calvin Prison Initiative, utilize the training we've received in church leadership, sharing service planning and preaching duties. Sure, our service times are shorter, and services have been split to reduce the number of people congregating, but we make it work. It challenges us to put theory into practice. It's beautiful to see these men use their gifts to serve others. 

Nobody knows how much longer this virus crisis will alter our lives. Yet, if we take nothing but a renewed knowledge about what is really important in this life away from our times of isolation, we will still come out ahead. Learn to cherish the time you have together with your family, even if forced, for some of us are isolated away from those we love.