Living as a “Lifer”
Living as a Lifer
Bill Dallas, in his book, Lessons from San Quentin, tells of the enormous success he acquired as a real estate mogul on the west coast. This good looking, party hopping, social networking, sexually active, relationally distorted, and politically connected go-getter eventually saw all of his achievements, prowess, savvy, talent, and high octane living bring him down, very hard. The thrill ride he once craved, and lived on a daily basis, eventually came off the tracks and landed him in prison. Relationships shallow and severed, trusts broken, deals illegally shaped, and his soul neglected, Bill Dallas found himself locked up, depressed, suicidal, and without hope. And then, he found life…amongst the “lifers”.
Lifers, as they are known inside the prison walls, are those hardened criminals who have committed such horrible crimes that they have been handed the most severe of sentences. Feared by Dallas as he entered the prison system, and looked down upon by him as worthless animals, these men became the very means of his transformation into a person of character, purpose, and hope. How does such a thing happen?
As Bill Dallas tells it, it was the maturity, poise, depth, hope, and wisdom of these lifers who came to know God which captured him. Unlike the short-timers (the prisoners who were in and out regularly never learning from their mistakes), these lifers had come to see life with the kind of clarity which few ever attain. As a result, they saw people, circumstances, and all of life in such a way, and lived in such a way, with grace and sincerity, that Bill Dallas could not help but aspire to it. Once feeling superior, better looking, better dressed, better educated, …just better, Bill had come to see how small and shriveled he was as a person compared to these men. And he cried out to God for a change.
If you read the book, and I encourage you to do so, you will find an amazing story of transformation, and a few principles on what it means to really live, as a “lifer”. I would suggest to you, in fact, that each of us should live with the “lifer” mindset as our benchmark. What is this “lifer” model for living all about? Let’s look at a few principles, drawn form Dallas’ story with the time we have left.
- Life, true life, God intended life, is much bigger and much deeper than what we see around us most often. The life reflected in the nightclubs, bar rooms, board rooms, corner offices, reality television, and that which is embraced by most people we know, is not the kind of life God offers or desires for us. The wide road, as the bible suggests, is littered with empty lives, lives which are founded upon the “me” factor, lives which leave little room for depth, soul enrichment, and meaningful relationships. Lifers live for something counter-cultural, something more. The seek a richer existence. The masses don’t motivate them. In finding God, they find themselves and come fully alive for the first time.
- Its what is inside that counts. The exterior, though Desperate Housewives, Victoria Secret, The Bachelor, Hollywood, and the countless covers of so many magazines may suggest otherwise, is not the ticket to fulfillment or ego realization. No amount of physical transformation or adornment of ourselves will ever result in inner peace. No sexual relationship with a man or woman, regardless of their exterior, will ever bring us lasting satisfaction. The soul will always get bored with him or her no matter how alluring initially. The inner workings of our soul need more than a well painted exterior. And our thirst for meaningful relationships can never be quenched by a hot date or a trophy spouse. We need more. We yearn for more.
- The mind must be maintained and enriched. Our minds, what we do with them, largely dictates the quality of life we live. Most lifers wind up in prison because they were prisoners of the mind long before they ever wound up behind bars. If we do not learn to take control of what we think, what we watch, what we desire, and what we learn, we will be subject to the mindless living which so characterizes our world. Have you listened to top 40 radio? Actually listened? Ever really listened to the music and conversations in a nightclub? Ever really thought through what M TV is saying? “Reality TV”? Really?? There is a bigger reality, and a better way to engage our minds. God calls us to a life of discerning observation, self control, and strategic use of our minds, wills, and emotions. If we always just react to the moment or the urge without any depth of former thought or insight, we set ourselves up for relational, psychological, mental, physical, and spiritual destruction. Use your mind. Learn. Observe. Engage. This is a big world worth learning about and experiencing beyond the shallowness we typically see. The wonders of God are unfathomable. We were not made to be passive couch potatoes, being led around by the yoke of common entertainment and coarse desire. Were were created with a mind, and we are called to use them as God intended. Our spiritual pursuit is the key to enjoying and growing our mind. Without the spiritual part intact the mind is open to anything. Dangerous.
- The extent to which we offer ourselves to others determines our impact in the world. Are we here just taking up space? Are we so self aware, and self serving that we fail to see the amazing realities of the lives around us? “Lifers”, as Bill Dallas came to see, were intentional, and thrilled about the opportunity to speak into the lives of others. They took every chance possible to engage those short-termers who were so off track. If they found a receptive heart, they gave of themselves in order to keep others from making the same mistakes they made in the past. With grace, and tenderness, these wounded prisoners reached out to extend care and compassion to those who had lost their way. They saw it as their privilege and their mandate. They embraced it wholeheartedly. And they impacted an entire system, an entire people. They never feared or shirked back sharing the lessons of their failure. They always sought to champion the grace and redemptive love of God for mistake-laden souls. They, through the lives of Bill Dallas and others, have literally changed the world. Bill Dallas now leads a ministry which reaches leaders and believers around the world. That began with Bill Dallas encountering men who had come to grips with life and eternity.
- Its all about Him. Where ever we may find ourselves in this life, we must recognize its about Him. We were made for relationship with God. Life lived in obedience to Him, whether behind bars or in an office on the 50th floor of a major skyscraper, is what makes life worth living. No title, position, bank account, or experience, will ever replace the God ordained hunger which resides in the heart of every human being. We were made for intimacy with Him. Obedience to His calling is where that intimacy is found. No matter where you are in this life, you have access to that reality. He is there. And on the most fundamental of levels, its all about Him, and who He wants to be to us. Is your life moving you toward Him? Is your life in Him your compass?
God extends to each of us, every day, the opportunity to experience life to the full. What are you doing with the life He gave you? Are you living for the short-term? Or do you have the view of a true “lifer”, one who sees the big picture in light of bigger realities? Life lived outside of God’s call for obedience and maturity is a life imprisoned by the bars of unrealized potential. Each of us experiences those moments when we know our hearts were built for something more, something beyond our natural ability. We all long to escape the tedium of mediocrity and life as usual. We search so many false options. We travel down so many twisted and dead end routes. We hurt so many along the way. We lead so many who are watching us to the empty highway of the most traveled path. If we could, in our mind’s eye, along with Bill Dallas, place ourselves in that cell with a lifer who has fallen and been redeemed by a God of grace and love, we too could experience what it really means to come alive, fully alive. Can you see yourself there? Can you examine your heart and your journey as you do so? What now?
Turn a deaf ear to the ways of the world, and listen closely for the whisper of the Spirit of God. In doing so, you just might find the kind of life you always dreamed of. Not a life of ease and constant accomplishment and success, but rather, a life lived fully attune to every situation, circumstance, person, and purpose… a life lived as a true “lifer”.
Live for the long haul,
Bruce Smith
optimuslife.org
soulstormsite.com
This entry was posted on 11. January 2010 at 22:06 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.