Second Chances

I’m not one to say much positive about the current President, but this week he came out and said Eagles quarterback Michael Vick rightfully deserved a second chance. Obama applauded the Eagles organization and owner for recognizing that Vick “paid his debt” for his crime and now deserved an opportunity to be a productive member of society.



What the President said was long overdue and, given the public’s perception of crime and punishment, courageous. It also is every Christian’s moral obligation to forgive and allow a contrite, broken person the opportunity for restoration and reconciliation.


This week, I read President George W. Bush’s memoir, Decision Points. I have long had the utmost respect for President Bush. His memoir confirmed what I long ago realized: W is a man of deep faith and moral clarity. He’s not perfect, but he has tried his best to live righteously. There are not many people I can say that about.


Two stories in the book struck me. In the first, W explained why he seldom lashed out at his critics. He tried, he said, to live by the Biblical principle about not pointing out the speck “in your brother’s eye”.


The second story was even more telling. President Bush described his first meeting with Bono of the rock group U2. Bush had decided to pour billions into AIDS drug distribution and malaria treatment in Africa. Bono, a committed humanitarian who puts his “money where his mouth is” had a deeply personal conversation with the President about his faith. “We talked about Matthew 25, the only place the Bible speaks directly about judgment. . . .”


I read and reread Matthew 25 each week. It calls on believers to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, comfort the sick, visit the imprisoned. It commands this. It says nothing about passing judgment on “those people”, condemning “those people”. Matthew 25 ends with these words:


“to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment. . . .”


That, is a significant punishment and makes mine pale by comparison.


I wasn’t a big fan of Michael Vick’s before, but he has gotten my respect as he busts his ass to make up for his past. He deserves peoples’ support and encouragement.


There are hundreds of men that I have met this past year in the same situation. They need a second chance. Some perhaps, need a third or a fourth chance.


C.S. Lewis wrote “if the will to walk is really present, God is pleased even with your stumbles.”


It took me getting arrested to realize we all fall short at times. No one is perfect. We hurt each other; we are selfish; some of us commit crimes. But, with very few exceptions, we are all redeemable and worthy of another chance. President Obama expressed his opinion on Michael Vick concluding “because my faith tells me to”. Perhaps others will feel the same pull from their faith.


In a few short weeks the Virginia General Assembly will convene. The oldest elected body on this continent will open with prayer. I’ll be praying, for myself and the vast majority of incarcerated men and women whom I’ve met these past two and a half years, for the General Assembly to do the courageous thing, do the just thing, and give us a second chance.


Judgment is a difficult concept. We struggle daily to be moral and just, yet we forget the simple admonition given by our Lord: as you treat the least of these, so shall you be judged.


40,000 men and women languish in Virginia prisons and regional jails. The vast majority could be released with few repercussions. We deserve a second chance. It’s a new year, a perfect time to give someone a second chance.