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.