"I Was in Prison and You Came to Me"

I went to prison this week.  Actually it was a state jail.  I guess there isn't much difference where freedom is concerned...from the inmates' point of view.  I tagged along with a friend who is presently teaching on the subject of grief.  Who has not experienced grief at some time in his/her life?  The loss of something or someone. From my grandmother's 1953 Thorndike-Barnhart dictionary:
Grief - deep sadness caused by trouble or loss; heavy sorrow.  Anguish, heartache, distress, melancholy.
Now, doesn't that say it all?  And yet if each of us wrote our losses down, we would all use different words to express our pain.
The study was in a women's prison and while I thought I would feel ill at ease, all I felt was love and compassion for these ladies.  That surprised me.  (Believe it or not I am normally very shy, but as a pastor's wife, I have had to step out of my comfort zone on a regular basis.)  My job was to sign them in and hand out pencils and homework papers. I introduced myself and asked their names.  They greeted me warmly and thanked me for coming.  They called me by name and asked me to come again.  I don't know what I expected, but I was touched by their faces.
Some looked rough around the edges while others seemed like innocent babes thrown into a place where they did not belong.  I was surprised to find they did not even know each other.  Some began the homework right away as my friend talked.  Some just listened and only a few slept.
I watched them and tried to put names with faces, but there were too many to remember.  The Lord knows. My desire is just to be used by Him for His glory.
Hebrews 13:3   Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 
I can't know what it is like to be in prison, but I can pray.  
Matthew 25:34-40  Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' 
We are told to visit those in prison and those who are sick, hungry, poor.  Prison is a new experience for me.  My job is not to judge the guilt or innocence of anyone.  My job is to be Christ to others and do as His word says...setting all comfort zones aside and pressing on.