Sitting in a prison cell, all Terrill could do was
question why he was there.
He’d had a pretty good childhood. His mother had
taught him about God and brought him to church and Sunday school every week. He
met a wonderful woman and they had three sons together. Overall, life was good.
So how could this have happened?
“I made every excuse for who I was and why I was
what I had become. I blamed everyone and everything,” he recalls. “The more I
believed what was wrong with my life and the world, the further I was walking
away from God.”
Not long into his incarceration, Terrill decided to
sign up for the Crossroads mentorship program. He began studying the newest
course in the Crossroads curriculum, Who
Are You?
The course asks students to ponder three fundamental
questions: “Who am I?,” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” The final
lesson of the course assures students that it is never too late to accept the
gift of forgiveness and become a new creation in Christ.
As Terrill read the biblical truths in the lessons
and contemplated the question “Who am I?,” he realized that he is more than his
past mistakes; he is a child of God.
“God has allowed me to come back and to be saved and
reborn,” he says.
Honest self-examination helped him answer the
question “Why am I here?”
“I reflected on the decisions I made,” he says.
“Alcohol impeded my judgment, and my actions ultimately landed me in my current
state.”
He also discovered how to answer the question “Where
am I going?”
“I must gain a stronger relationship with Jesus
Christ,” he states. “I want to be a better father and husband. That is my goal.”
Having successfully completed Who Are You?, Terrill looks forward to continuing his studies
through Crossroads.
“The lessons [in Who
Are You?] are good for learning more about Jesus Christ and understanding
how I can live with Him, love Him and learn from Him,” he says. “The program
also gives me the opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings while I
adjust to the limits of incarceration. With the Crossroads program, replies and
prayers, I truly feel connected with the Word. My journey is only beginning.”
Would you like to help people in prison like Terrill reflect on their lives and rediscover their identity in Christ? Sign up to become a Crossroads mentor.