Behind the door a lonely place,
Behind the glass a lonely face.
Trapped in walls of block and steel,
Where time and space seems surreal.
Day after day within the hole,
It vexes the mind, it tests the soul.
Sleep’s the friend that eases pain,
Where days are long and boredom reigns.
The chuckhole is where food is served,
This dining room is always reserved.
From this slot I hear a sound,
An unlikely place to be found.
This voice of hope and grateful praise,
Of God unto great thanks are raised.
Who’d thank God from this type of hell?
This lonely, tiny windowless cell.
One who holds within his soul,
Words of hope, words of gold.
From the Book that God has wrote,
He wears the Word just like a coat.
To protect from cold and emptiness,
For God has filled his heart with bliss.
Can Joe Blow out there in the street,
Utter such words so true and sweet.
He has no need for things of Christ,
Not like the one who lives lonely life.
Their solitude has fed their faith,
This blessing of this lonely place.
They are free, yes free indeed,
For they have found the God we need.
The whole world is enslaved by sin,
But not these thankful, grateful men.
Walls may hold their skin and bones,
But their hearts and minds, no one owns.
They’re held in, but Gods not kept out,
He’s there for all who do not doubt.
Behind this door is not one man,
But him and God hand in hand.
Tertius
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25
A note about “Hole Hearted Thanks from the Heart of the Hole”: During our Sunday service at the jail we always have a certain order that I try to keep consistent as a church worship service does. I have a service with the men in male segregation (which is individual cells, these men are not allowed with the rest of the inmates for either disciplinary reasons or for their own safety, if someone has threatened them or if they may prefer to be alone) which is referred to as “the hole” during the afternoon. These men are locked inside these small cells alone (most times) with no TV, no radio with only books and writing material. They really look forward to the service in a room where we can be together with comfortable chairs and human contact. However one Sunday for some reason they had to remain in their cells while peeping through the “chuckhole” (a small door approximately 4” X 12”: within the main cell door where food is served). Not the best way to have a worship service. I always have a time of testimony during the Sunday service and with great surprise I listened and heard from two of these food slots. “I’d like to thank God for”… I didn’t hear what they were thankful for, it probably doesn’t matter what we’re thankful for anyway. According to Romans 8:28, it’s all good. But that verse is easier said than done. This is a good measuring stick for your faith. Do you think thanks and praise would come from your mouth if you had been locked in a small box for a year? One of these very men had been in there longer than that. I know because I’ve been seeing him that long. He seemed on the verge of a breakdown when I first met him, but now he is all smiles when I see him, upbeat and has an inner peace that shines to the outside. How about you?