It's been a few months since I've written. It's for several reasons. I've felt kind of shut off from the world lately and I was in my own dark hole. But now I'm definitely feeling more pepped up...the packers is part of it :P
But I've had an idea I've floated around in the last few years but kept on the shelf because I really don't know how the heck I could do it. It's definitely a "risky" and "controversial" idea that would probably strike many people as unpopular and ignorant or whatever.
Trying to find a job back when I was 16, and even now for people my age, was freakin impossible! And I thought about how much harder it must be for ex-felons to find a job, much less a decent job since many have families to care for. And I always told myself if I was somehow a manager of somewhere I'd give the felons a fair chance in getting their life straight. Who knows if they had an epiphany or life changing decision to go straight and do good and live a solid life! Sadly this does not happen. My pops said back in his old job working for the LC health department that his bosses would look through resume and without even reading what the felony was or how long ago it was they'd throw out the application. How unfair is that?!?!
How much does the Bible constantly tell us, we are NOT good, we are NOT better than each other, we are ALL sinners one way or another and in that we are equal. We all make mistakes, sure some are worse, but nonetheless we are all in the same boat. Should I look down on someone who got caught stealing or robbed a gas station in his rebellious years even though I've made some bad mistakes? Maybe not as bad as robbing a store or whatever, but I've made some mistakes that made God sad all the same. If someone keeps on making those decisions that ruin their lives and those around them, then they should deal with the consequences but if someone who is 24 made a mistake got charged, he shouldn't be wiped away of a honest future to provide for his daughter or son when he's still so young and has his whole life ahead of him.
I have absolutely NO idea how I could do this, but I think it'd be so cool if a business got started that hired felons and kept them straight, kind of like work for me doing construction and stay outta trouble. A real normal job, an honest living, that only hires felons, sounds CRAZY right?
I don't know...I think it could make such a huge difference. Imagine if they come to Christ because of that job!
I mean, there are so many people, especially in the inner cities, who feel like they HAVE to keep doing those bad things just to get by, cause no one will give them a chance. We see it in the movies all the time right? A bad school, a good teacher comes in, talks to the kids, kids say who cares about us? Why would anyone help us? This is real life, that actually happens, and it's more than that one lucky school that got their story published.
I really feel like they should at least get a fair shakedown, a fair job interview like everyone else. Think about it again, if they're applying for that job, doesn't that already say something about how they might wanna do right in this life?
And like I said, I don't know how I could do this, like a foundation thing, start a business with a friend, talk to a state or local Representative about working with felons and businesses and doing some sort of program, who knows! But should I dare to dream? Should I try to help out people who's made mistakes like we all have? Or maybe you reading this will be in this position of where you have a chance to hire someone, and you'll now think, maybe you should give them a fair chance after all instead of throwing that application away.
I love helping people, I LOVE raising awareness for my neighbor's grandkids who have sanfilippo and helping them out as much as I possibly can. I love sponsoring a kid in Ethiopia and helping out his family. And I hope to do mission work opportunities in my lifetime. But I think this is one more thing that deserves at least a little bit of attention because I think it could truly make the world a little bit of a better place to life, to give people the opportunities to turn their life around or on the straight track. I feel like this is a risky thing to be saying in so many ways...but this is what I think...
