COLUMNS
My Time
a column by Melissa Vanover
There are a thousand ways to hurt someone you love that have nothing to do with physical violence.
Prisoners, in my opinion, are the most doubted when it comes to finding religion. Before my incarceration, I held that same opinion. I’d think, “Oh, he’s in prison. Now he’s a Christian?” So judgmental…. We fail to realize that you’ll find Jesus in the most unlikely places.
By living a sinful life I was only blocking the blessings that have since come my way and going through the pain. I never understood (at the time) why I would be put through such emotional torture. The explanation of that part of God’s plan has been revealed to me.
Our hearts are broken, so we can differentiate that emotion from what it feels like to be truly loved, once we find love. Everything – everyone – in our personal path serves a purpose and takes part in our experience (I’ll explain).
Why? Why would one person endure so much pain in one lifetime, in any lifetime? So we’ll know how wonderful heaven is, or to have us feel a fraction of pain that God felt when he gave his only begotten son for this world.
All I remember is the judge slamming his gavel, announcing that my new home for the next 25-plus years would be the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio.
Wow! Talk about shock. I had four children that needed me and I was going away for life. Read more.
Melissa Vanover