The Seeds We Sow

One of the most profound truths I’ve learned through prison ministry is that transformation is often slow and unseen. It’s easy to measure numbers—how many programs are run, how many Bibles are distributed or how many people receive services. But true transformation doesn’t always fit neatly into these metrics. Often, it happens quietly, in ways we can’t track with numeric data or don’t immediately notice. 

There is much to be said for simple, faithful presence.    

I’ve heard countless stories from men and women in prison who began their journey with little more than remnants of hope or a simple curiosity about faith. One story from a South American prison sticks with me. It’s the testimony of a man who used the pages of his Bible to smoke marijuana. But then, one day, he picked up a page of Scripture and read it. Encountering Jesus’ words planted a seed in his heart. This man’s journey wasn’t immediate or linear. But over time, this small seed of faith grew into something life-changing. 

In prison ministry, we often face the tension of visible progress versus God’s hidden work. The outward signs of change—behavioral shifts, a decision to follow Jesus—are important, but they don’t always reflect the deeper, spiritual transformations that are taking place. We know that lives are being changed, but it’s often difficult to measure just how deep that change goes or how lasting it will be. 

I think of the countless former prisoners returning to prisons as volunteers, not because they have to but because they’ve experienced the Gospel’s power to transform lives. They’ve walked through the pain and brokenness and know the hope that faith brings. Their return to prison isn’t just an act of service—it’s a testimony of how deeply God has worked in their lives and now, they are planting seeds in the lives of others. 

This kind of work, while incredibly meaningful, doesn’t always produce immediate, easily measurable results. That’s why we’ve partnered with Pepperdine University to study the impact of in-prison and community programming on recidivism, starting in Colombia. While this data will undoubtedly help us better understand the long-term effects of prison ministry, we realize that not everything can be captured by studies and statistics.  

What we do know is that God sees every change in every life, even if we cannot. And we also know we have been called to sow seed, whether that be through a life-giving message, an act of kindness, a visit or all of those things. 

Certainly, it can be discouraging when results are not immediately visible—when people we’ve worked with fall away from faith or find themselves back behind bars after their release—but  God is always at work.  

We don’t take Jesus into the prisons. We follow Him in and meet Him there. 

We trust in His timing, in His methods and in His words. 

In short, we trust Him. 

In the synagogue in Nazareth 2,000 years ago,  Jesus quoted the first part of the passage from Isaiah 61, but everyone would have known how it ended—in a planting of The Lord, for his splendor. 

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God
to comfort all who mourn,
3    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.  

In the end, our role is to keep working. We plant the seeds with great love, proclaiming the  Good News in word and deed. We trust that God will fulfill His word, just as that man in South America experienced in a place he never expected. 

We are part of something much bigger than what we can see. Let us continue this vital work with joy in our hearts, full of courage and strength.