Forming the (meta) narrative

I had lunch with our student pastor, a man I deeply respect. I wanted to share with him the latest on our journey, especially as it relates to the formation of this ministry.

I described to him how I felt that God had used a season of unpleasantness to equip us help others. Our prison experience, and more precisely, how the Body of Christ came beside our family and helped us, is the foundation for all we do at Qavah Ministries.

I could tell that he was encouraged by what he was hearing, but I could also tell that I had resonated with him in a deeper way.

He elaborated. “Delton, we are hard-wired for apprenticeship. We see it in scripture. We see it in churches. We even see in in business and sports. We are made to be apprenticed, and to apprentice others. I think we mostly see it in the trades, like carpenters and plumbers and such, but it exists everywhere. It’s been that way for thousands of years.

“I’d challenge you to think about your experience that way. Your experience shaped you. You might even say you were apprenticed by your circumstances. What you went through was awful. And hard. But God is taking a bad situation and using it for good, and you’re embracing that. Christians need to hear that. I think men, especially, need to hear that. They will likely never experience what you experienced, but they will no doubt face suffering of some sort in their lives. And you’re setting a good example in how you’re dealing with that suffering. Instead of approaching it from a place of bitterness and hurt, you’re coming at it from a place of purpose and hope. And that makes all the difference!

“As you form your narrative, consider your audience. I think you’ll find that sometimes you’re promoting the narrative of a reimagined approach to prison ministry. At other times, perhaps it’s more of a meta-narrative that God can use anyone’s unpleasantness to help others through theirs. You are helping your hearers reimagine suffering.”

I could not agree with Colby more.

There’s a phrase I’ve heard in my ministry that has its origins in the military: “Embrace the suck.” When things get difficult, instead of seeking to be comfortable, seek the Comforter! As Frances Chan has said, “If you’re comfortable, you don’t need the Comforter.”

And perhaps more relevant is a phrase our friend, Ron, used (and still uses) at our church in Florida: “Recycle your pain. God can take your greatest suffering and turn it into your greatest ministry.”

That certainly seems to be true for us. Our hope is that this sparks a movement that reimagines the church’s role with regard to prison ministry.

But we are now hopeful that it does even more. We hope that our story can help our brothers and sisters in Christ reimagine suffering and how God can use our difficult circumstances for our good and his glory!